Union Atlantic

Late last year I received an offer I couldn't refuse. Doubleday publishing sent me a copy of Adam Haslett's new book "Union Atlantic" and asked me to write a review for it. I sent them my opinion and waited until now to post it, as they requested.

"At the heart of Union Atlantic lies a test of wills between a young banker, Doug Fanning, and a retired schoolteacher, Charlotte Graves, whose two dogs have begun to speak to her. When Doug builds an ostentatious mansion on land that Charlotte's grandfather donated to the town of Finden, Massachusetts, she determines to oust him in court. As a senior manager of Union Atlantic bank, a major financial conglomerate, Doug is embroiled in the company's struggle to remain afloat. It is Charlotte's brother, Henry Graves, the president of the New York Federal Reserve, who must keep a watchful eye on Union Atlantic and the entire financial system. Drawn into Doug and Charlotte's intensifying conflict is Nate Fuller, a troubled high-school senior who unwittingly stirs powerful emotions in each of them."
~~~Description from Advance Reading Copy dust-jacket

Details, details, details!!! The amount of detail in the book is at once startling and impressive. I was able to see and feel everything as I read. The way it flows seamlessly from description to character history to story and onward in the cycle is incredible. One moment, you're feeling the tension between two characters and the next you're reading about how they came to be that way, all in a simple, streaming motion of the prose.

The characters were real to me. I could identify with all of them and loved how unique they all were. The bizarre yet fascinating triangle Nate, Doug and Charlotte form is a brilliant idea by the author. From the talking dogs, to the loss of a loved one, to discovering feelings and emotions inside you you never realized were there (or perhaps you knew but were too afraid to acknowledge), the characters are all individualized by the characteristics given to them by Mr. Haslett.

Dealing with a vast amount of monetary terms, I was worried about whether or not I could understand most of this book. However, my worries were subdued as I easily read page after page of the money world and was able to follow along with AND understand all that was being said and described to me, which returns to the amazing descriptive powers. More of it made sense than I expected.

Another thing I found interesting about the book was the small amount of profanity. While there is some within the binding, it's not nearly as much as I expected, being few and far between. There are moments that read a little courser than I prefer, but not so much you have to close your eyes and skip ahead a few pages to avoid it. Profane language seems to be a popular writing method in today's literature with every other page dripping with "f" this and "f" that but, with smashing style, Mr. Haslett has given us the honor of avoiding such during out times spent reading each page.

The book also uses a large amount of the state-of-being verb tense, although this is more a personal annoyance than anything else. Being a technical writer, sometimes you just can't turn off what's inside you. Despite that, I finished the book in less than a week, which is unusual for someone with my hectic schedule. I closed the book content with the reward I received from spending that time with it. There is much more I could say concerning the storyline, but I hate ruining such for people and have never seen the point in it.

All in all, definitely a book I recommend to fellow literary lovers as well as the many more who simply love a good read.

Adam Haslett is an American author whose first book, a collection of stories entitled "You Are Not A Stranger Here", was nominated numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. He currently lives in New York City.