(np) irreverent question for Mr Franzen, perhaps

[Michael Bailey]

Wut's 'e got against Indian women?  (Actually it sounds like it might
be a good read)



The Twenty-Seventh City is a 1988 novel by Jonathan Franzen, his
first. The story of the Probst family's unraveling is set among
intricate political conspiracy and financial upheaval in 20th century
St. Louis, Missouri.
[edit] Plot

In 1984, an Indian woman called S. Jammu is appointed to the role of
St. Louis police chief. A surprise choice, direct from being the
Bombay police commissioner, her appointment is greeted with some
surprise and suspicion. This is especially true for the political and
business leaders that make up the county's advisory board, Municipal
Growth. Over the coming months, however, a combination of a cult of
personality, the surprise appearance of a Native American terrorist
group and a combination of blackmail and extortion bring many members
of Municipal Growth to support Jammu. Those not won over include
General Norris - a right-wing business owner - and Martin Probst -
leader of the group and upstanding construction magnate. While
Probst's initial misgivings are more to do with maintaining
impartiality, his concerns are deepened by Norris's reports of illegal
surveillance and other underhand practices.

Further pressure is brought to bear on Martin Probst in order to make
him endorse Jammu and his family life begins to suffer. First, his
17-year-old daughter, Luisa, moves out of the family home to live with
an older man called Duane Thompson. Then Martin's wife, Barbara, is
seduced and ultimately kidnapped by a subordinate of Jammu's - Balwan
Singh. The fact of the kidnapping is obscured from Martin and he is
led to believe that Barbara has embarked on a live-in affair with a
man in New York.

The clash between Jammu and Probst is starkly delineated by a proposed
merger between the city and county (part of a larger property
speculation scheme hatched by Jammu and her cohorts). Jammu acts as
the figurehead for the merger whilst Probst becomes the leader of the
opposition movement. Despite this public contest (and the deeper
motivations on both sides that it masks) the pair find themselves
drawn to each other, eventually resulting in them sleeping together.

The merger fails, in large part due to voter apathy. This setback,
combined with a chronic lack of sleep, is enough to cause Jammu to
commit suicide.