In his fourth novel Joseph G. Peterson tells the story of Gideon
Anderson, a young man alienated from his father and two brothers who
have gone into the family business. Unlike them, he receives checks from
his rich uncle every month. In exchange for the checks, the uncle asks
Gideon to come up with a plan for his life, essentially a blueprint
about how he intends to enter the job market. Gideon, who went to a
prestigious university, puts his uncle off and spends the money on
alcohol, the horses, and a miscellany of useless purchases partly
because he doesn't know what to do, partly because he doesn't want to do
anything. Gideon then meets a lovely, ambitious woman, Claire, who
encourages him to do better with his life and talent. She asks him to
come to New York with her where her father can set him up in his firm or
bankroll a business venture. Despite his good fortune in love and access
to the steady cash-flow provided by his uncle, Gideon, like Melville's
character Bartleby the Scrivener "prefers not to" commit either to a
career or to Claire. For ten years he just drifts. And then suddenly his
uncle dies and Gideon has to make a decision.
The novels of Joseph G. Peterson have run a literary gauntlet from
searing prose to lyrical poetry; from noir style to full
character-driven plots, and his work has drawn comparisons to Gertrude
Stein and Ernest Hemingway. An incredible eye for detail and taut, lean
prose are what readers have come to expect from a Peterson effort, and
in this new book they will not be disappointed. Peterson delivers an
emotionally engaging parable that will appeal not only to
twenty-somethings unwilling or unable to commit and fit in, but also to
adult readers who appreciate modern literary fiction and carefully
crafted characters.
