The Up and Comer | Howard Roughan | A devious little gem

The Up and Comer | Howard Roughan | One of the Most Impressive Debuts I've Read Recently

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The Up and Comer

	The Up and Comer Howard Roughan Grand Central Publishing, 2002 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 31 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Philip Randall has it all: youth, looks, wealth. Hes got a successful career with a prestigious Manhattan law firm, a luxurious downtown loft, a filthy-rich wife, and a gorgeous mistress who also happens to be his best friends wife. Self-satisfaction suddenly turns deadly, however, when a prep school classmate appears with an eye on Philips bank account, and telling photographs of Philip and his mistress together.

A devious little gem

I first read this book several years ago, but I can't stop re-reading it. The protagoinst of this book, Phillip Randall, is, to put it mildly, ethically challenged. Basically, Phillip is just a guy who already has it all and is willing to do whatever it takes to get more, more, and more. He's perfectly happy to take advantage of the opulent lifestyle provided by his wife's father's money, to climb the corporate ladder at his law firm no matter what the ethical cost, and, when the mood strikes him, to sleep with his best friend's wife. He does these things with no remorse - Phillip is a pretty happy guy and believes, in his very Manhattan WASPY upper-middle-class way, that he is entitled to all of these things, and more.

It makes sense, then, that when someone threatens the pleasant lifestyle he's grown so accustomed to exploiting, Phillip takes action in a way that most of us would be horrified about in real life. The beauty of this book is that the author puts you right inside his head and makes you part of what Phillip is doing - and while you find Phillip disgusting, you also can't help but like him. You will live vicariously as Phillip's life starts to snowball, and you will alternate between hoping Phillip gets caught, and then hoping he gets away with it.

It's a plot that's been done before, but in my opinion, this author does it better than almost any of his contemporaries (except possibly Jason Starr). Roughan does an amazing job capturing a certain psychology of a certain type of guy most of us have come across in life. The narrator's voice is readable, darkly funny, and infectious. This book has a fantastic plot, great characterization, and a perfect ending. Roughan presents us with a traditionally unsympathetic character, takes us with him to do unspeakable things, and even makes us identify with him, all without compromising the moral center of the book.

I loved this book in every way. My only complaint is that Roughan isn't writing more books just like this one. This author is a great talent with a unique voice and I recommend all his books, but this one is by far his best.

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One of the Most Impressive Debuts I've Read Recently

Like a lot of people, I never heard of Howard Roughan until I read James Patterson's novel HONEYMOON, which Roughan co-wrote. I thought HONEYMOON was better written than the average Patterson novel, so I thought I would give one of Roughan's earlier novels I shot. I'm glad I did.

THE UP AND COMER is a very witty, darkly comic novel. It is also a novel that features an remarkably unlikable character as its protagnoist. New York attorney Philip Randall has married his wife Tracy for her family money, while at the same time having an extramarital affair with his best friend's wife. He is also very smug and offers a lot of acerbic (yet funny) commentary about city life in New York. Eventually, something goes terribly wrong with Randall's life. The way he handles this crisis, and the violent complications that ensue, lead to a very suspenseful read. In some ways, this novel reminds me of another novel, James Siegel's DERAILED.

I must admit that I found Randall to be very off-putting at first, because he is such a louse. However, this book gets better as it goes along, and Randall is a very different person at the end of this book than he is at the beginning. In the end, this novel is something of a morality tale, and I enjoyed it immensely.

In short, I highly recommend this book to people who like their suspense mixed with a little dark comedy. I sincrely hope that Roughan writes more books.

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Great character study!

The main character, Philip, is an anti-hero that is amoral, complex and intriguing all at the same time. The book is an easy page turner and the ending is very fitting.

But I Don't Want To Go Bed!!!!!!!!!

It's 2 am and I have a 7 am golf tee time. I'm on page 243 and I am wide awake. Why? Because I can't turn the pages to the Up and Comer fast enough. Am I getting my point across? Absolutely one of the finest pieces of fiction to come along. Great character development, perfect plot, a little bit of spice -- all this adds up to the perfect book. Word of advice -- make sure you've got an uninterupted 8 to 12 hours because once you start, you won't stop. Make it 10 Stars for Up and Comer!!!!!!!

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A terrific, fast-paced and well plotted book

Simply put, if you like books that move quickly but still are well written, have very clever satire, and still have a good plot with strange but believable characters, you will like Howard Roughan's "The Up and Comer". I don't know how I missed this book when it was released but Mr. Roughan truly can write in this genre. I often find books of this type to be simply trash, ones you might finish but never really admit to having read. This one is different. Someone who willingly allows their life to get out of control and thinks they can always put it back on the rails. That AND is very funny along the way. Read this book. On the beach, on a plane. It is not serious literature but it is seriously good.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

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