A Phenomenon of Revenge
RATING: 5-out-of-5 Bookmarks
Driven by anger, maybe deep-seated, Max Wiseman (does his last name signify a sagacious wit) embarks on an odyssey to rid the world of his archenemy. He has not seen his enemy since he was eleven years old, but Derrick Frankenmeyer represents all that is wrong with American culture and those who do not live by the Golden Rule.
We meet Max who presently is a Prosecutor for the District Attorney's office. He is practicing law in its purest sense, and he can do this because he amassed $12 million working for law firms who charge high fees. He invested his money, has no wife and children to support, and he is healthy. So what's the problem? Well, Max is angry, he is angry with people who are inconsiderate, who use "it's our policy" for answers and he believes that for every good thing that has or will happen to him, he will incur more suffering than it's worth. So he begins his journey to find Derrick, the bully from camp, who beat him and embarrassed him. Max is out for ultimate revenge.
Max's excursion from New York to Albuquerque and back again is full of Americana, mostly at its worse. The customer service employees who represent the airlines, hotels and rental car companies are particularly gruesome and unrelenting in their incompetence and lack of courtesy. Max, however, is hell-bent on resolving his search for Derrick and committing a final act. He does meet Americans, with little money to sustain themselves, who surprise Max with their positive philosophy on life.
During his crossing, Max also puts himself into dangerous situations. He isn't brave and he isn't smart in dire circumstances, but he never really takes any revenge on those brutes who have purposely endangered him. So what do I make of Max? He made me laugh, he adored his father and he really can procrastinate. Fortunately, what sets Max apart from many Americans is money. Yes, I agree that many in our culture are dumb, cruel and downright useless, but Max had a way out that few of us have. He had money; he didn't think it was important but whenever he wanted to directly help someone, a waitress, a farmer, a hotel van driver, he could make their lives a little bit better by giving them an outrageous sum of money. He was able to reward many and live a very good life. So "do unto others ..." finally worked for Max. But in Max's real world, he had the Gold, so he could set many of the rules.
Without giving away the end of the novel, let's say Max finally can unload his anger. Read this book, it's a different angle on our society and who's running the show.
One Last Thing to Do Before I Die
By Steven Drew Goldberg
Publisher: lulu.com
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