Mergers & Acquisitions

I have read countless books from this genre, both fiction and non-fiction, and without question this is one of my favorite books of all time. If you have any experience in investment banking, contractual law or just business in general, you will find this satire to be in a league of its own. Bravo monsieur Vachon!

Sort of like a modern day Great Gatsby in the setting of American Psycho (minus the murder) with a slight Salinger influence on a couple characters. Follow the philosophic bread crumbs, and you may find something substantial.

It's hard to feel for the rich, but Vachon came close. His story about a bumbling and disenchanted investment banker is a sharp satire about corporate America and privilege in America. The main attraction here is the dialogue and characterization. Vachon captures the voice and mannerisms of the idle rich in New York. The reader is treated to a bird's eye view of the jaded lives of these people who want for nothing. But rather than showing them as totally evil, the reader feels sorry for the hollow lives these people lead. I also enjoyed the description of training at an investment bank. The scenes involving Tommy and Makesh Makar are not to be missed. These companies may pay top dollar, but the toll on the young associates' lives is enormous. They have to sacrifice family, social life, and personal interest to make those huge bonuses. What do the people who claw their way to the top get? A chance to brag that "my wife hates me". Vachon is talented and I am interested in seeing how his writing career develops.

As a Wharton MBA who has observed this scene for 20+ years, I found this book to be an over the top spoof of high finance and NYC society. If one were pitching it as a movie, I would say it is The Great Gatsby meets Catcher in the Rye meets Bright Lights, Big City. A great, light read that had me laughing out loud! Enjoy!

Halfway thru Vachon's debut, I realized this reminded me of earlier novels by Bret Easton Ellis and Jay McInerney... yet, as the publishers' review above correctly states, Vachon's novel is different: the lead character sits in the eye of a perfect morality storm, yet manages to remain above the fray... mostly. Vachon's writing is sharp as a switchblade... reflective, biting, considered and often utterly hilarious. At times, some of Tommy's misadventures can border on the absurd, but somehow Vachon remains believeable. If you've worked in banking -- and I suggest this novel in lieu of same -- you've met less bawdy versions of these people. And even if you haven't, Vachon offers a fun and sometimes wild ride through first-year finance. It's been said that everyone has one great novel within them. This is an auspicious debut, but if Vachon could learn enough about his subject matter to deliver a novel this good within a single year, I'm left eagerly anticipating his next effort. Highly recommended, especially if you enjoyed the early work by Mssrs. Ellis and McInerney.