Who is Rich?

by Matthew Klam

‘Who is Rich? Is a tantalizing novel – acute and smart and stark, but mostly it’s unrelentingly funny about a large number of very inappropriate things. It’s one of those rare books: you open it, then you’re up all night. I was‘ Richard Ford

Every summer, a once-sort-of-famous cartoonist named Rich Fischer leaves his wife and two kids behind to teach a class at a week-long arts conference in a charming New England beachside town. It’s a place where drum circles happen on the beach at midnight, clothing optional. Rich finds himself worrying about his family’s nights without him, his back taxes, his stuttering career and his own very real desire for love and human contact. One of the attendees this year is a 41 year-old painting student named Amy O’Donnell. Amy is a mother of three, unhappily married to a brutish Wall Street titan who commutes to work via helicopter. Rich and Amy met at the conference a year ago, shared a moment of passion, then spent the winter exchanging inappropriate texts and emails and counting the days until they could see each other again.

Now they’re back.

Who Is Rich? is a warped and exhilarating tale of love and lust, erotic pleasure, envy and bitterness in the new gilded age that goes far beyond humour and satire to address deeper questions: of family, monogamy, the intoxicating beauty of children and the challenging interdependence of two soulful, sensitive creatures in a confusing domestic alliance.

• ISBN13: 9780008282516
• Publish Date: 3 May 2018 (first published 4 July 2017)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 19 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Fourth Estate Ltd
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[chymerra]

I am at an impasse here. I really don’t know what to write for the review of Who Is Rich. This is one of those rare books that I can’t find any words for. And believe me, for me not to have words to describe a book is very rare. I am going to keep this review short and sweet.


I did enjoy reading Who Is Rich. It wasn’t a fast read and I did have to reread some chapters to understand what was being said and how it related to the story. Being told from Rich’s point of view, I actually empathized with him during most of the book. He was struggling with a wife who was in chronic pain and who might have been depressed (her actions during the book made me think that), a daughter and a son who refused to sleep at night (know that feeling) and a career that was over before it began. But my empathy for him began to fray after he slept with Amy and spent their savings on that stupid bracelet. But, that was his wake up call and he did try to make things right. Stress try.

I liked that I could also relate to Rich. Having 3 children myself, I have wondered the same things he did at times. I have felt that my relationship was buckling under the stress of having 2 toddlers and having a baby later in life (I was 37 when my now 3.5-year-old was born). I have felt that I needed to get away. I got him, I truly did. What I didn’t get was instead of talking everything out with Karen, his wife, he cheated on her and had an emotional affair with Amy for over a year.

While I liked that the author went into detail with his characters, I did feel that some parts of the book were too detailed. Like, I didn’t know that a character needed braces (not how it was phrased in the book). Stuff along those lines. I felt that instead of adding to the story, it overwhelmed it.

The end of the book was what I expected, with all the plotlines resolved. I just wish that I felt that things were going to be resolved between his wife and himself. I also thought that he lucked out, big time because Karen didn’t even notice the missing money in their account.

How many stars will I give Who Is Rich: 3

Why: Good plotline, realistic characters. I did think the book was a little wordy, hence my star rating, but overall, I liked it. Also, the drawings were creepy but an original way to star some of the chapters.

Will I reread: Maybe

Would I recommend to family and friends: Maybe

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and violence

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**