THE CONTRARIANS

A dreary look into the inner life of a cash-rich, joy-poor Manhattan financial analyst, courtesy of second-novelist Sernovitz (Great American Plain, 2001).

Chris Kelch earns $500K a year at Freshler Feld as the company’s fifth-ranked analyst, age 28. His understanding of the market—though in bleak moments he concedes that no one understands it—and his ability to make others move huge sums of money around give him a sense of power and pleasure rivaled by nothing else. He spends his scant personal time being patronizing to his adorably well-bred girlfriend (self-obsessed Kelch ignores her work-life) and sparring with his rivals/friends at the office, while trying to keep as much space as possible between himself and his mother and sister in Rockford, Illinois. In his childhood, Kelch’s single mother struggled financially. Now, his sister’s husband works at a plant, and in reaction Kelch money-grubs. Generally, the narrator relies on mean cultural stereotypes more than character development: there’s an uptight Asian guy and an arrogant Jew, while the author somehow imagines that Kelch’s midwestern roots make him intrinsically nice despite his apparent lack of heart. Out one night, Kelch meets an erstwhile novelist-cum-journalist, and, to impress his girlfriend, agrees to meet the writer later. Well, after Kelch tells all over a few beers, his ordinary life (Kafka with cash) is blown out of the water when the mousy journalist/novelist writes a vicious and brilliant exposé about “Scott” and his job (though the harsh/heartfelt article may provide the book’s best pages). Horrified, Kelch is certain everyone knows. Indeed, his long-dormant dad calls about the piece, and it seems Kelch’s arrogant, well-educated assistant is gunning for his job. Grim. Paycheck-driven Kelch does some agonized introspection and begins to Plan for Life After Freshler Feld, but there are some surprises in store for Kelch at story’s end.

Readers will get a mildly informative look at the money-drenched world of finance but may be hard-pressed to finish this otherwise sluggish tale.