This is the sort of book on paper that should be the next great American novel, following on from contemporary Elif Batuman's The Idiot a work set in the coming of age environment of the college campus.
When we first meet the four ladies - Margaret, Lainey, Alice and Ji-Sun - four different women racially, socially, economically; you anticipate a work of great substance and reach.
It is unfortunate to report that this is a novel where all the women get what they want, face no repercussions for their actions (usually drawn out from imbibing alcohol and sexual desire) and you are left by an emptiness when digesting this book. The writing does have it's witty moments, but for a debut novel to have four different voices it struggles to get the tone right throughout culminating in one of them becoming a mother and when she struggles with this new event, we do not seem to get her point of view but more of the determination by her husband who we met only halfway through the book. Yes what that new mother does is unforgivable but we never get her point of view of events, it is merely reported to us by the group as a whole.
The cultural and social flashpoints through the early 20th century fixating on Lainey's role in the Occupy Wall Street movement which ultimately becomes a launching pad to career enhancement, therefore, foregoing the message of Occupy and becoming part of the season.
The first half and college set part of the book is told greatly with a great pace with the different voices all being heard as they have to combat sexual politics and fear of sexual aggression in the campus, yet once they graduate the best years of their lives are behind them, and we are left with four women who are all unfortunately innately jealous of each other's lives, wanting more from their own existence and struggling to find a footing in the world and to meet expectations.
Following in the footsteps of other literary prentiousness, this by the end is hard work to digest and to find anything remotely appealing about in the conclusion.
A shame but there are moments of levity and observation by Ames that bodes well for the future if she were to focus on one protagonist rather than over-exerting with four intelligent vibrant women at once.
The Other's Gold is published by Pushkin Press on 2nd April.
My thanks to them for the review opportunity
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