A Quick Note On This Review: This article includes affiliate links to Bookshop.org as a way of supporting both local bookshops and my own ability to write.
In 1980, Carl Fletcher is abducted from his home on Long Island one morning as he’s on his way to work at the polystyrene manufacturing company that he owns. His wife Ruth, pregnant with Jenny, calls the police in an attempt to find Carl, but after five days the kidnappers call her to demand a ransom. Ruth rushes the ransom to JFK airport, her younger son Bernard in tow, and when Carl is returned, she and Carl’s mother agree to never talk about the incident in front of the children. But as Carl shows signs of deep emotional trauma, it becomes clear that Bernard, his older brother Nathan, and his sister Jenny may not have benefited from the cone of silence the way Ruth thought they would.
Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner is a dark, satirical novel that was actually inspired by the 1974 kidnapping of a family friend, but takes direct aim at the ways obscene wealth inhibits the personal growth of those who possess it. While a kidnapping would be traumatic for anyone, it’s clear from the way that Carl is allowed to insulate himself from the outside world has a profound impact on the way that his family develops around him. While he was the beneficiary of immense wealth that his father built, Carl becomes fixated on his own trauma to the exclusion of all else, including the shifting needs of his business or the increasingly unstable demand that his business relies on. As the situation becomes more dire, Brodesser-Akner’s novel does a good job of exploring how those with wealth become increasingly fixated on preserving it as circumstances become more stressful, such as when it’s revealed that the factory is more of a liability than an asset, and Bernard, Nathan, and Jenny all squander their inheritances on prostitutes, insurance policies, and the idea that one can shun their inherited wealth if they try hard enough to be a friend of the working class.
For casual readers, Long Island Compromise would probably be most appealing to those who are interested in works critical of wealth inequality, as it’s a major focus of the story. Brodesser-Akner does a phenomenal job of creating a story so focused on such a large social issue that it becomes clear why too much wealth may be a bad thing. Further, Long Island Compromise’s satirical bent would make it perfect for anyone who enjoys having the absurdities of particular cultural issues pointed out without being hit over the head with it. There are also elements of the story that deals with grief, death, and how people experience changes in their identity that are necessitated by life’s progression, but since the novel’s main thrust is focused around wealth’s ability to warp the human experience, it’s likely that anyone who is uncomfortable with reading about these times of issues may not enjoy it as much.
For writers, Long Island Compromise is an ideal case study for people who are looking to write a dark satire, a story focused on wealth and inequality, or someone who wants to write about a multi-generational family. The main benefit of reading the novel would be to experience the first two, but Brodesser-Akner adds something new to the form of multi-generational stories in her ability to create a tightly-woven plot for several different characters at once. This skill would be helpful in ensuring that the audience remains engaged, even if they do have to shift their focus to a completely different frame of reference.
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What’s Next?
I am an avid reader and have quite a few thoughts on how some books could benefit both people that want to be entertained and those looking to sharpen their literary skills.
If you’re interested in finding out more about what I’ve been reading – and how it could benefit you – I will be publishing those thoughts on Fridays on a weekly basis. Check back next week for a discussion of Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales!
The Writerly Review 