2018 School Spending Survey Report
Crooked
Mulholland: Little, Brown. Jul. 2015. 368p. ISBN 9780316198516. $26; ebk. ISBN 9780316198509. F
COPY ISBN
In Grossman's ingenious latest (after Soon I Will Be Invincible and You), sad-sack Richard Nixon slanders and lies his way into the House of Representatives, consorts with Soviet spies to achieve national prominence, hobnobs with the wizard Henry Kissinger to obtain the presidency, and through it all remains unable to win the approval of his wife, let alone the American people. It seems the Cold War has a dimension hidden from most observers: a supernatural battle of occult forces pitting the magic of the Oval Office and the sorcerer-like powers of Dwight Eisenhower against dark forces abroad. Perhaps it's a tribute to the inexplicability of Nixon's real career and many comebacks, but Grossman succeeds in making his fantastic explanation seem more believable than the truth.
VERDICT This novel works as gleeful satire, as wacky alternate history, and as thriller, but what really shines is the character study at its center. Nixon's self-loathing, longing for appreciation, and inability to please his beloved motivate every moment perfectly, ultimately creating a narrator who is pathetic, yet at the same time sympathetic. [See Prepub Alert, 2/2/15.]
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LOG IN
We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LOG IN
Thank you for visiting.
We’ve noticed you are using a private browser. To continue, please log in or create an account.
Comment Policy:
Comment should not be empty !!!