Okay, so we’ve all been in the middle of that book that we wish would just end– not so that we could read its sequel, but because we just want it to end. This has been my week with Nick McDonell’s An Expensive Education. I promised myself I wouldn’t cast aside until finished, but Oscar Wao is calling my name from the bookshelf, so this has been difficult.
This sort-of spy novel, half political fiction piece incorporates a whole gamut of oddly-related characters from different backgrounds who are students or professors at Harvard. They all become entangled in this mess with a rebel group from Africa. What bothers me most about this book is that all of these very different characters seem to think exactly the same way– like the author. This might be what I should expect from McDonell (the author)– he’s only 25, and he grew up among Manhattan’s elite. His characterization is blah. He’s reported for Newsweek and published another novel, Twelve, so I thought I’d give this book a shot. Having just started “Part III” of III, I can only hope that I can make a more positive report on this novel after I finish it!
UPDATE: As with many books, the action really snowballed in the final one-third. All elements tied together and most of my questions were answered in a gratifying way. For anyone else who reads IE, what do you think about McDonell’s treatment of Razi at the end of the book? What about the romantic tension between some of these characters, esp. Lowell and David, Lowell and Razi? Did this seem real or contrived? I guess I’m wondering why the sexual tension was often a focus, yet this dimension was never fully delved-into. Any thoughts?
