A Total Change of Scene
Prepare for a big shift in time and scene from Keechʼs previous novel. This one is set in contemporary America. Yet the witty humor, vivid characters, and clever plot show it is the same author. Actually, the two main characters from A Hundred Veils make a cameo appearance in this one. They are older and living in an American suburb, and we finally get an answer to the question: what happened to Marco and Mastaneh?
First World Problems is about Emma, at first despondent about not being able to keep up with the “executive” lifestyle of her friend Britney or the other PTA moms. But when she meets a poor immigrant family from Vietnam and befriends some Central American immigrants, she soon sees how insignificant her own first-world problems are.
Emma also finds out that the wealth and power of Britney and others is based on dishonest dealings. A real estate developer, a hypocritical pastor, Britney’s husband, and the County Executive are defrauding jobless fishermen of their waterfront bungalows in order to tear them down and build an exclusive tract to be called Riverside Paradise.
Emma takes up arms against this corruption when the developer, Bea, tries to seduce her husband. She gets even deeper into the fight when Bea and the others try to cheat her friend Andre out of his house. Andre, a delightful character, doesn’t work, reads everything from political history to primitive anthropology, and comes out of his shack by the river now and then to present friends with his thoughts. First-world problems are the farthest thing from his mind. Emma had dated him in college until she realized he was gay. Now, with her husband in New York with Bea, a relationship of sorts with Andre is rekindled.
Despite the serious subject of the novel, its most attractive feature is the humor. Pastor Rainey is a villain, but his money-raising sermon, at which Emma’s son says he looks like the muppet Statler, is as funny as it is evil. And even when Emma is in trouble, her snarky observations make me laugh. This is a serious critique of social problems, and yet the author never fails to bring out the comedy that underlies what people do. In that sense, it is like A Hundred Veils.
“Keech (A Hundred Veils, 2015) takes on a literary classic in this novel, which follows the romantic and social trials and tribulations of Emma Bovant and her husband, Charles. . . . This tale should please readers who enjoy romantic drama, and may be of interest to fans of Flaubert.” – Kirkus Reviews
