Hooked

July 18, 2011
This superficial novel about superficial men offers little to sustain the reader beyond its premise: a group of aging frat-boy types who visit brothels together, deceiving their wives, as told from a collective point of view. The anonymous characters and setting preclude some of the most important elements of a novelâcharacter, description, thoughtful reflection. The men visit brothels in their city, then in a city they visit together, then come home and go to more brothels until "you" (one of these men) decides he wants to confess to his wife. "You" and his wife don't show up to soccer practice one day and everyone is worried. "You" appears and says he's confessed everything, but only about himself. After "you," his wife, and children all go missing, the wife's sister shows up to investigate. Evidence of foul play is found and everyone is alarmed until a crime is discovered. However, the reader has little reason to care, since neither "you" nor any of the other characters are fully developed. This is a shame because "Franc" (a pseudonym) is clearly a deft writer, but his facile approach yields a generic story that does not deign to dirty its hands even to discuss sex.

September 1, 2011

The pseudonymous Franc has created an interesting and provocative thought experiment. A group of only partially identified older men with families decide to patronize the many high-end brothels in their city. It is an intoxicating experiment; they are soon "hooked." Initially, these men seem selfish and deplorable, and their frank objectification of the mostly young women who parade before them is as disturbing as it is fresh, honest, and forbidden. However, there is something intriguing about their mechanical attitude toward sex, especially when juxtaposed with their stated desire to obtain an elusive "girlfriend experience" where paid sex seems freely given. As expected, it all ends badly when one member of the clan can't keep the secret. Here the story gains gravity as the men clam up to protect one another, all of them fearing costly divorces. Only one man goes down in flames, and he goes down big. Sadly, he receives little help from his buddies. VERDICT The questions the novel poses about men and relationships are as compelling as they are disturbing. Potentially great conversation fodder for (all male?) book clubs; recommended for fans of the edgy read.--Henry Bankhead, Los Gatos P.L., CA

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