Will Aitken

The Swells by Will Aitken is a so-so satirical story of class warfare aboard a luxury cruise ship.

In reality Briony is homeless and makes just enough to survive, but as a travel writer who cruises for free on luxury liners she must mirror the passengers behavior in order to fit in. The Emerald Tranquility is the most luxurious cruise liner and Briony is traveling on it with some of the world's wealthiest people. At the same time the ship's crew lives in small spaces below deck and are over worked and under paid. When a mutiny happens among the crew, it results in the elderly passengers now being required to learn how to mop floors and clean toilets.

This is hardly the "darkly hilarious satire" as described. Although there were a few funny parts, this is not a hilarious novel of class reversal or the privileged versus the underprivileged. All the characters aren't written to resemble real people, they are all caricatures of stereotypes of different people. Let me make this clear, all classes of people are stereotypes. The mutiny happens just before the halfway point (44%). Before that it is a sometimes incomprehensible and decidedly not particularly funny novel of hookups and mocking the elderly rich passengers. After it's all over, the final summary is that this is a satirical novel ridiculing capitalism and promoting socialism. Perhaps those who have taken a cruise will relate to this story much more. Alas, I haven't and have no desire to do so.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of the publisher
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2021/12/the-swells.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4417971793… (mere)

Story of a precocious young man in the 1960s. The book starts out with him having a crush on another guy in his school whom he has a brief affair with until his father find them together. We also learn that he's the youngest member of the local art gallery. He soon becomes the protégé of the new museum director as well as other things. The main character is really not very likeable. It's supposed to be loosely based on a true story. I actually live in Terre Haute but it's before my time, and some of the places are easily recognizable but slightly altered. I do remember when the book came out and it was scandalous all over again in this area.… (mere)

A Visit Home by Will Aiken covers the psychological journey of a man who was sexually abused as a child by his father. Daniel Kenning experiences an emotional upheaval after the death of an acquaintance. The death leads him to seek a therapist who uncovers deep seated resentment between Daniel and his father for this abuse that happens in his childhood.

Aitken's novel is very well written and it allows the reader to see into the psyche of a middle aged man overcoming his inner demons. This novel runs more like an elongated character sketch because the center plot is ill defined.… (mere)