A sneaky former venture capitalist (the blood of our economy still under his fingernails) tangles with an upstanding family man in James Wallenstein's debut.”— Vanity Fair
“While The Arriviste operates as a portrait of one man, at the same time, it operates as an allegory of our current financial collapse. Neil Fox is exemplary of the few greedy, irresponsible, and reckless guys, who, while claiming innocence and ignorance, have become immensely rich at the expense of the many poor suckers. The horrifying ending makes it clear that standing complacently on the beach while a man is drowning is the same as holding him down while he goes under.”— Boston Globe
“A slow-burn noir. . . this novel is in the details.”— Washington Post Book World
“Wallenstein’s gripping first novel has the muscular grace of an expert tennis player or strong swimmer—figures with deep resonance in this nuanced tale of miserliness and ambition, emotional bankruptcy and betrayal. The narrator, silver-haired layer and venture capitalist Neil Fox, lives alone in his palatial house on Long Island during the 1970’s. His wife has left him; his 17-year-old daughter keeps her distance; and he is still mourning his young son’s death. Cigarette and drink in hand, Neil is cold, hostile, caustically witty, and adamantly solitary. But Bud Younger, the energetic and naïve “arriviste” who has moved in next door with his loving family, will not be denied. Bud wangles his way into Neil’s fortress of anger and into a treacherous deal with Neil and Mickey, Neil’s eccentric, avaricious brother and business partner, to set up a factory on a Caribbean island. In scenes of hallucinatory intensity, from a commuter train ride to bacchanal parties, storms and beaches frightening in their perfection, Wallenstein calculates the true cost of diabolical investment shenanigans. The velocity, artistry, insights, and pleasures of Wallenstein’s riptide portrait of a hollowed-out rich man of “measured aggression” and depthless pain are prodigious.”—Donna Seaman, Booklist (starred review)
“A beautifully written story about all of the many different reasons we need love and are terrified to lose it. If you believe that there’s another world, a better world, where we can hope for more than we ought to (and expect to be sad when you don’t discover it) then read Wallenstein’s terrific debut novel.” —Clancy Martin, author of How to Sell
“The protagonist and narrator is that guy, the one you’ve probably thought of a thousand times lately while muttering the words ‘the economy’ with a woeful, bewildered look on your face. He’s the bastard whose fault it probably is, and the amazing thing about this book is the profound sympathy you feel for him on almost every page. He observes the world acutely, he has vigorous and striking thoughts, he yearns: this guy has a soul, to which this antic and elegiac, beautifully written novel bears unforgettable witness.” —Matthew Sharpe, author of Jamestown and You Were Wrong
“Set in New York City, 1970, Wallenstein's debut follows investment firm partner Neil Fox, whose life, despite his formidable wealth, is in shambles. Following the death of his 11-year-old son, nearly 10 years before, his marriage has been slowly disintegrating while his relationship with his daughter, Vicky, 17, unravels. When young, successful, has-it-all Bud Younger moves next door, Neil's misery escalates, especially after Neil's brother, Mickey, involves him in an offshore business partnership with Bud. Neil now holds the deed to Bud's home and is getting involved with the enigmatic Cecilia, a woman he meets at Bud's party and who may be Bud's mistress. Money, family, and social status, but especially money, take center stage as the complex, well-drawn characters circle each other on their way down the proverbial drain. The story takes hold early on and Neil, immoral and greedy, inspires affection. While money seems the focus, more than that, Wallenstein is addressing the human condition and how money, as the old song goes, ‘makes the world go round.’”— Publishers Weekly
This highly descriptive novel is told from the perspective of Neil Fox, who has been leading a comfortable life in an upscale suburb of New York City in the mid-1960s. But now his ten-year-old son has died, his wife has left him, and his brother Mickey is his only friend. Bud, a new neighbor, barges loudly into Neil's life. At Mickey's urging, Neil grudgingly agrees to become silent partners in Bud's business venture. The crux, however, is that Bud is mistaken about the essential relationship he has with Neil; they may be neighbors, but they are not partners or really friends. The predictable tragedy evolves at a stately pace. The interior view of Neil's feelings is rather astonishing. He is a reluctant shark, disconnected from life yet still participating as a player in the game, and a monument to the power of those who have more over those who want more. VERDICT A surprisingly interesting read about the human costs of financial "success," with echoes of Jane Smiley's Good Faith but with less drama and more solitary introspection.—Henry Bankhead, Los Gatos P.L., CA
