The Columnist

The unreliable first-person narrator of this novel of blind ambition tries to ingratiate himself with the reader with the "gentle" means he used to become one of the top news columnists in the country. We travel with him during his ascent to political and social power as he tries to downplay all the backstabbing he does to become a hot shot or what is in reality a cliche-mongering, bloviator who has no principles but can only opine in order to further his career. As with most deals with the devil, this one doesn't end the way the bargainer thought it would. We see a portrait of a sad, lonely man trying to tell us he is on top of the world. Rumors have it that this narrator is based on a real-life news personality who shall remain nameless. Whether the rumors are true or not, I suspect this novel applies to dozens and dozens of power players who've "made it" the same way this lugubrious narrator has.

For the most part, I grew up and developed my understanding of the world during the '70s and early '80s. In other words, my youth was spent in the aftermath of Watergate, Abscam, and other scandals that rocked Washington, D.C. and were somberly commented on by sonerous-voiced, grim-faced men who usually seemed to end each report by somehow working in their own close, personal friendship with John and Bobby Kennedy. This figure, who always seemed to be trying to play Jason Robards playing Ben Bradlee, became one of the most annoying cliches of my youth. As evidence of media bias became more obvious, these self-important men no longer seemed to be wise, old men [...] For anyone who agrees with those sentiments, Jeffrey Frank's The Columnist is a must read.The novel is presented as being the memiors of political columnist Brandon Sladder who takes us through the last fifty years of American history with a remarkable, and sadly quite plausible, vacousness. The book's humor, which had my laughing out loud through most of the read, comes not from the slight plot but from the way Frank manages to perfectly capture this character in all of his pompous, self-important, and ignorant glory. In creative writing classes, we are all taught the importance of maintaining a unique "voice." This is one of the best examples of how this can be done while still managing to write an entertaining, readable novel.For me, a perfect example of the book's subtle and truthful humor comes from Sladder's description of meeting JFK a few weeks before Kennedy's death. When JFK assures Sladder that he intends to read Sladder's columns as soon as he gets a chance, Sladder solmenly informs us, "I never found out if he kept his promise." Now, too many, that probably doesn't sound like much but to anyone who has read the preening memoirs of actual political columnists will recognize this line as one of the cherished standards of the genre. Frank's use of it punctures the self-serving arrogance of so many of those columnists. In short, it says what readers like me have always wanted to say -- "Who cares if you knew Kennedy, you irrelavent windbag!?"Anyway, if you got the above joke, this book is definitely for you. And if you didn't, you probably won't get as much out of it but I'd suggest reading this novel anyway. Even beyond the political satire beloved by lonely political junkies like myself, this book is very funny. Its also very short and a quick read. I read it in about two hours so even if you don't love it as much as I did, at least you won't have to sacrifice a great deal of your time to disagree.

Frankly, I am writing this review in the hope that the author, Jeffrey Frank, checks these reviews out from time to time. I know I would if I were clever enough to have written this novel. I loved every minute of it. Three members of our family read it and passed it on to one another because we were so amused by this annoying, self-serving, so-full-of-himself columnist. Even the index is a hoot. Thank you, Mr. Frank, for such great entertainment. I will never again watch the Sunday morning "talking heads" without being reminded of Brandon Sladder.

I found Jeffrey Frank's portrait of a political columnist and all-round cad to be both dead-on accurate and wickedly funny. Having lived in Washington for many years, I can vouch for the book's accuracy. What's even better is Frank's adroit juggling act. Hardly a page went by that I did not laugh out loud. And yet in the end, I truly felt for this rotter and the hash he's made of his life. That's a trick few writers can pull off. Frank does it masterfully.

I loved this book and raced through it in two short sittings. Hilarious and wistful at the same time, Frank has near perfect pitch. Frank has E.L. Doctorow's gift for story-telling (the writing in The Columnist reminded me at times of Billy Bathgate) and Theodore Dreiser's talent for writing about raw ambition. Frank's day job as an editor at the New Yorker shines through - there is not a wasted word here. Enjoy.