The Body Politic
by Brian Platzer
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Buy the Book: Amazon
Goodreads: New York City is still regaining its balance in the years following 9/11, when four twenty-somethings—Tess, Tazio, David, and Angelica—meet in a bar, each yearning for something: connection, recognition, a place in the world, a cause to believe in. Nearly fifteen years later, as their city recalibrates in the wake of the 2016 election, their bond has endured—but almost everything else has changed.
As freshmen at Cooper Union, Tess and Tazio were the ambitious, talented future of the art world—but by thirty-six, Tess is married to David, the mother of two young boys, and working as an understudy on Broadway. Kind and steady, David is everything Tess lacked in her own childhood—but a recent freak accident has left him with befuddling symptoms, and she’s still adjusting to her new role as caretaker.
Meanwhile, Tazio—who once had a knack for earning the kind of attention that Cooper Union students long for—has left the art world for a career in creative branding and politics. But in December 2016, fresh off the astonishing loss of his candidate, Tazio is adrift, and not even his gorgeous and accomplished fiancée, Angelica, seems able to get through to him. With tensions rising on the national stage, the four friends are forced to face the reality of their shared histories, especially a long-ago betrayal that has shaped every aspect of their friendship.
Kritters Thoughts: After reading this book, I took awhile to write my review which was different for me. I had conflicted feelings of the book and had to sit on it for a bit. I will admit to reading some reviews to see if anyone had the same feelings and although I saw some same sentiments, most reviewers had some similar feelings but praised the book. I on the other hand just didn't love this one.
For this book, if you can't connect to a character or two its hard to continue reading. With a book that is more character driven, for me it is essential that I care about the characters and care where they will end up - I didn't with this one. Although the therapies that David was partaking in were interesting, it wasn't compelling enough for me to want to keep reading. I was intrigued by Angelica and the things she was going through, but not enough to not get distracted by other things.
I wanted to love this book like so many others did. I wanted to get invested in their lives and care about their journeys, but this one just didn't work for me. It could be the season of life that I am in or the moment in time, but this one wasn't for me.
Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more
Ebook 2020 Challenge: 14 out of 100
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of this book free of charge from Atria Books. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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