May 2, 2014

Book 4: Inherit the Mob

Inherit the Mob
Zev Chafets

Here is a prime example of a book that suffers greatly from an inaccurate jacket description (or perhaps a cautionary tale about reading jacket descriptions before the book itself). The blurbs promise a madcap romp and an over-the-top send-up of the old-school mafia, and while Inherit the Mob does have more than a few moments of levity and does contain a thoroughly modern twist, it read to me lie slightly comedic noir. Despite failing to live up to the advertisers' expectations, the book is enjoyable, if a bit contrived. It is easy to recognize protagonist William Gordon, intrepid Pulitzer-winning reporter, and his sidekick John Flanagan as stock characters and possible stand-ins for the author, and they do become frustrating and tiresome at times. More damaging from a modern perspective is the treatment of a queer character who repeatedly claims lesbianism when pursued by the author, only to eagerly hop into bed with another male character as a convenient (but unnecessary) plot device. While this book doesn't need to be a forum for an in-depth exploration of the flexibility of human sexuality, the character's lack of in-plot development (she does get a realistic backstory in one of the middle chapters) and general treatment are disappointing at best and outright offensive at worst. That said, however, there are some very welcome late additions to an admittedly bloated cast and, if nothing else, most characters maintain consistent personalities that serve the story.

The treatment of the cast, however, betrays the novel's greatest flaw: Chafets creates functional (if stereotypical) characters (and even subconsciously acknowledges his reliance on old tropes in a character's aside) and drops them into a plot with enough originality to keep readers hooked, but he cannot for the life of him rely on any hint of subtlety. Everything in this book is over-explained, usually in lengthy expository reveals. The extras may have compelling histories, but the book is weighed down by irrelevant details about bit players, seemingly puffing up the word count without real regard to plot development, and many of the main characters' biographies show up relatively late in the book, long after their optimum period of utility or explanation. It's a sign of lazy writing- why not at least bother to attempt to dress up the (ultimately unnecessary) exposition in dialogue or internal monologue? Chafets clearly put a lot of thought into the novel, its internal history, and its protagonists, but these rich details become clumsy and actually detract from any sense of suspense that accumulates between the (frequent) asides.

That said, however, Inherit the Mob is strangely enjoyable. The show does go on, despite sustained periods of inaction, and Chafets showcases an admirable ability to follow up on the law of Chekhov's gun. Aside from the cumbersome backstories, which rarely become relevant to the story at hand, most details (however awkwardly revealed) do come back, sometimes in completely surprising ways. Though it fails to deliver on the jacket copy, which itself contains a fairly important spoiler, the book does offer a somewhat sly take on the old mafia and creates enough suspense to keep readers hooked. It's not a thriller by any means, but it's compelling enough to make readers wonder how Chafets intends to resolve the mess he creates. Inherit the Mob is not by any means a great novel, but it is entertaining enough, particularly in its final third, to warrant an afternoon or two.

Grade: B

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