(np) irreverent question for Mr Franzen, perhaps

[rich]

fwiw, the book is terrible

On Wed, Oct 27, 2010 at 7:58 AM, Michael Bailey
<michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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.
>