- The advice writers always get is ‘show, don’t tell,’ and Frey seems to have flushed this axiom completely down the toilet. The narrative is fast, lacks depth, and relies almost entirely on exposition with a ton of adjectives to tell the story.
- Reading it felt like I was watching a TV show.
(And no, I don’t think these two statements are contradictory.)
The result is a fast-paced, surface level story about a bunch of terrible, gorgeous, insanely wealthy and super horny white couples who live in the rarified air of New Bethlehem, Connecticut and whose relationships begin to unravel immediately after a first attempt at swinging. Look, this isn’t rocket science. These elements are salaciously delicious and make for a fun, trashy novel. This is a quintessential beach read. But it’s extremely consumable and quickly forgettable.
The novel starts at an art gallery with Devon, a fabulously beautiful woman from a wealthy family that has fallen on hard times. Her mandate is to find a man with more money than god so she can keep her family’s legacy afloat. She meets Billy, a working-class man who has come into so much money he throws millions around buying art because he wants to possess everything he desires – including Devon, natch. We are then summarily introduced to a cast of characters and get the high-level overview of their ‘situations’ and relationships. Some of them are more likable than others, but none of them are endearing. When Devon and her bestie Belle decide to hold a swingers’ party at Devon’s house, they make a list of couples and plan for an evening filled with ‘magic’ – the best of everything. Food, booze, drugs, fine linens, etc. It’s fine. None of the action is that sexy because the reader isn’t emotionally invested in any of these assholes, but whatever. Lifestyles of the rich and famous are a reliable trope for entertaining the average American media consumer, and I was entertained.
After the big night, we follow each couple as their relationships change. Devon and Billy’s relationship becomes a central part of the plot as we learn that Billy has devolved into a ruthless, controlling, abusive bastard who uses women. Devon’s one night with Alex, the town’s former football hero turned finance guy, becomes a full-fledged affair and the catalyst for the unraveling of their respective marriages.
There is exactly one person of color in this book. The maid, obviously. Devon pulls an Amanda Palmer and convinces her faithful and attractive Costa Rican maid, Ana, to move into the guest house and work for her full time. Devon becomes aware that Billy is abusing Ana and offers her tea and sympathy. Amazingly, this exploitative dynamic doesn’t keep Ana from forming a “sisterhood” with Devon where they hang out, get high, and talk about how awful men are.
A lot is going on in this novel, and to Frey’s credit, he manages to keep all these moving parts and points of view pretty straightforward, although in the beginning, I had a hard time remembering who was who. Mainly because aside from hair color and a few minor noted preferences and personality tells, all these people are the same. They are conformists, climbing within a society with strict rules about what’s acceptable and what’s not. I can honestly say I felt not a single iota of connection with any of them, with the possible exception of Katy, a lower-class Boston transplant who has shunned her accent and worked her way up from an abused childhood to being a school teacher in one of the most exclusive towns in America. Katy gets pulled into this swinger scene by her friend with benefits, Charlie, the hot hockey coach who is purportedly amazing in bed and shags all the married ladies in town (including Devon) on the regular. But even Katy seems incongruous, and while her backstory offers some appeal to the reader’s sympathies, she remains as two-dimensional as the rest of them.
The one thing that I loved about this book was Frey’s prose. It was poetic, and also kind of childlike with its repetition and alliteration. I’ve not read anything else by him, so I don’t know if this is how he usually writes, but I found it intriguing. It also helps move the reader along more quickly. I read 60% of this novel in one day. It goes down that easily.
I’ve often remarked in my reviews that I like reading stories about terrible people doing terrible things. This book absolutely fits the bill. Plus, it’s ultimately about bad men getting their just deserts, and what is more enjoyable to read about than that? Still, it was lacking the kind of depth and connection to character, time, and place that I like from my novels. This is a book meant for diversion, and that’s not shade. Books like this have a place in my library. Sometimes my brain is overwhelmed, and I need to read something that doesn’t require much mental or emotional commitment.
I am giving it three Q’s – which I define as “Good – a solid choice.” It won’t rock your world, but it will keep you entertained on that flight or by the pool. Enjoy!