Follow Here To Purchase Patriots

Author : David Frum

ISBN-10: 1475141963:   ISBN-13: 978-1475141962

Democracies, worldwide, exist on the core elements of: government of the people, by the people, for the people. But, in practice does this always happen? Or, is it government of the dispossessed, by the possessed, for the elite few? David Frum’s new novel, Patriots, makes a case for the latter option; lie, cheat, doesn’t matter what you do as long as you’ve got the numbers and a good spin doctor.

David Frum, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush, created the phrase ‘Axis Of Evil’ and has written several non-fiction books.  Patriots, is Frum’s first novel and I suspect he relied heavily upon his years as a presidential staffer for the characters and plot. As an Australian, I wasn’t able to pick which fictional characters were characterisations/caricatures of real life American political figures but the book’s ‘Constitutionalist’ party quite obviously depicts the current day Republican Party.

Told through the eyes of Walter Schotzke, the bone idle heir to a fortune derived from the family mustard making business, Walter’s only interest is in disposing of an allowance from the trust fund set up by his deceased father.  Blithely admitting he’s a ‘disappointer’, Walter disappoints his grandmother once too often and is presented with an ultimatum: work for the Constitutionalist Senator Hazen or forget the trust fund payments. Not surprisingly, Walter, encouraged by Valerie, his ever loving/opportunist girl friend, moves to Washington and a job as a rookie political party recruit.

A free spirit, Walter is not enamoured of his duties or work mates; most particularly, his boss Daphne, a control freak of epic proportions. He is sent to boot camp to find out what the Constitutionalist party is all about and as he meets n’ greets people who can help him climb the next rung of the party ladder he begins to become politically aware.  Conscience pricked by the realization that unlike the party power brokers, ordinary Americans are doing it tough, Walter, for the first time in his privileged life, wonders if the American dream can ever become a reality for any but the wealthy.

David Frum compares in convincing detail the opulent, greedy, wasteful lives of those in government service to the threadbare existence of those who through government neglect and prevailing world financial conditions have lost their jobs and homes. This doesn’t feel like ‘preaching’, the descriptive sequences of parties etc all appear to be part of the rich tapestry of Washington life when you’re in the money and hard times when you’re not. There are flashes of wry humour and Walter is a likeable if extremely ingenuous character (I guess if you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth there’s no need to wake up to life’s reality). The story moves along at a great pace and while some of the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more (nobody is that bad or that good without a reason) the plot is believable and entertaining.

Behind the sex, lies and blackmail which are prevalent in the daily running of a political party the author has a serious message: the Constitutionalist/Republican Party have forgotten their charter; to work for all the people who elect them not just the powerful few. I would add it’s not just the Republican Party that needs to remember this.

I like David Frum’s writing and whatever your political persuasion, Patriots is an interesting read.