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A review by book_concierge
The Coyotes of Carthage by Steven Wright
4.0
Book on CD performed by Glenn Davis
Andre Ross has made a mistake. And it may end his career as a hotshot political consultant. But, his mentor agrees to give him one more chance. Sent to a backwater community in South Carolina, he’s tasked with passing an initiative that no one has even considered. He has an assistant (who is the partner’s grandson, and completely green) and a limited budget. But he KNOWS how to do this.
Dre is something of an enigma. He’s clearly intelligent and well-informed. He is a professional whose middle name may as well be “cutthroat,” and will take whichever side is paying his salary. He’s also deeply troubled. The fact that he’s a black man in a blue-collar white community in the deep south doesn’t deter him, though that does pose some challenges. As the novel progresses the reader begins to see signs that Dre isn’t so sure this is the right path for him. He seems to be falling apart. Will his conscience, long silenced, win out? Will he win this election? Will he keep his job? Does he want to?
I found this riveting and informative. I could not help but think of our current political climate and the way the populace is manipulated by the message. A tweak here, a slightly different phrasing there, a negative connotation “accidentally” floated onto the local gossip mill, a charismatic young woman whom everyone knows is a “good person” … and you have everyone ready to vote against their own best interest and in favor of the candidate or position least likely to actually benefit them.
Glenn Davis does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. He sets a good pace and differentiated the characters sufficiently that it was always clear who was speaking.
Andre Ross has made a mistake. And it may end his career as a hotshot political consultant. But, his mentor agrees to give him one more chance. Sent to a backwater community in South Carolina, he’s tasked with passing an initiative that no one has even considered. He has an assistant (who is the partner’s grandson, and completely green) and a limited budget. But he KNOWS how to do this.
Dre is something of an enigma. He’s clearly intelligent and well-informed. He is a professional whose middle name may as well be “cutthroat,” and will take whichever side is paying his salary. He’s also deeply troubled. The fact that he’s a black man in a blue-collar white community in the deep south doesn’t deter him, though that does pose some challenges. As the novel progresses the reader begins to see signs that Dre isn’t so sure this is the right path for him. He seems to be falling apart. Will his conscience, long silenced, win out? Will he win this election? Will he keep his job? Does he want to?
I found this riveting and informative. I could not help but think of our current political climate and the way the populace is manipulated by the message. A tweak here, a slightly different phrasing there, a negative connotation “accidentally” floated onto the local gossip mill, a charismatic young woman whom everyone knows is a “good person” … and you have everyone ready to vote against their own best interest and in favor of the candidate or position least likely to actually benefit them.
Glenn Davis does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. He sets a good pace and differentiated the characters sufficiently that it was always clear who was speaking.