Bold, slick and acerbic.

Reality

Ray Glickman

Fremantle Press

ISBN: 9781922089373

 

Description:

Six people have been chosen at random. Without their knowledge, Kathy, Mario, Garry, Hannah, Robert and Julia are about to participate in the ultimate game of manipulation.

 

A stranger brings them together, but can this ruthless puppeteer really be held responsible for the choices each makes? In the end, who is to blame for their actions: for their deceit, infidelity and crime?

 

At the heart of this thought-provoking novel lie questions of fate and self-determination.

 

 

My View:

 

I love that Ray Glickman has successfully (I hope) rid himself of all the angst and frustration his working life has heaped onto his shoulders by writing this witty, honest and scathing attack on the mindless, selfish, irresponsible actions of the individual (and the Corporate) and how easily we can all be manipulated to serve the purpose of …well anyone if you know how to play the game.

 

I really enjoyed reading about local haunts that I too was aware of – Milk’d café, The Department of … best leave that one there it sounded very much like more than one government department I have worked in – full of self-serving egotists…always worried about the bottom line and their own job “The Department was paralysed by inertia and stultified by ancient rules and regulations” (p. 31) …Glickman makes fun of everything and everyone – no one is safe, “The Britney Generation” (p.18), “Wait A-while WA” (p.14), lawyers, executives…no one is spared. And it is all so familiar to the cynic in us all.

 

I admire Glickman’s sarcasm, his wit and his sense of humour. He plays with his characters, plays with the culture that is Perth and produces a read that is for the most parts engaging and enlightening. Where would we be without ego? How much ego is too much of a good thing? How easily do we display our secrets under the guise of social media “sharing” and “likes”, and who or what can be trusted or manipulated here? Everyone it seems.

 

This is a thought provoking read which only loses momentum for a short while in the middle section before bursting back to life. Thank you Ray Glickman for saying all those things we secretly say to ourselves and don’t have the courage to say out loud…and for extolling the virtues of so many exceptional Western Australian wines amongst your storytelling.