Los privilegios

Por Justo Navarro y Jonathan Dee

Todo comienza con una gran boda en Pittsburgh. Se casan Cynthia y Adam; ambos tienen veintidós años y son los primeros de su generación en entrar en la temida, despreciada, ambiguamente deseada vida de los adultos. Viven juntos desde hace dos años en Nueva York, pero se casan en Pittsburgh ?una opaca ciudad industrial? porque el segundo marido de la madre de Cynthia, el acaudalado Warren Sikes, ha pagado con mucho gusto la suntuosa boda. Y también el viaje y el alojamiento de los invitados, un batallón de jóvenes que desdeñan el mundo de sus mayores pero no tienen ningún deseo de cambiarlo; sólo quieren apoderarse de él, y saben que inevitablemente les llegará la oportunidad. Esta entrada en la vida adulta es también el comienzo del ascenso de Adam y Cynthia Morey desde la clase media hasta las cimas del gran dinero, donde se viaja en jets privados, se tiene siempre una limusina con un chófer disponible y se acaba creando una fundación u obra de beneficencia para ayudar a los desposeídos, lavar el dinero, admirarse a uno mismo. Y así, con hijos, con padres que aparecen, desaparecen y mueren, y en medio de una escena social espléndidamente descrita, con un Adam que ha encontrado la manera de enriquecerse sin hacer mal a nadie y ha descubierto también una perturbadora característica del dinero: que sólo se puede pensar en él en términos de crecimiento, es decir, en cómo usarlo para hacer más dinero, prosigue la historia de los Morey, de su ascenso sin caída. O quizá con la insinuación de que tal cosa podría ser posible en medio del espléndido sueño americano. Una novela seductora, sutil, de una ambigua ironía, que esquiva la caricatura, el maniqueísmo, los juicios morales obvios. «Sólo dos novelas han hecho latir mi corazón más rápido en el último año. Una es Los privilegios. Su tono es perfecto, y muy inteligente su percepción de la vida moderna. Y es increíblemente divertida y desvergonzadamente seria. Me subyugó» (Richard Ford).

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: Editorial Anagrama
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 2 may 2013
• ISBN: 9788433927736

Justo Navarro

Justo Navarro (Granada, 1953),premio de la Crítica por su libro de poemas Un aviador prevé su muerte, ha publicado en Anagrama las novelas Accidentes íntimos (Premio Herralde de Novela): «Un paso adelante en una trayectoria cada vez más densa y cuajada» (Santos Sanz Villanueva, Diario 16); La casa del padre (Premio Andalucía de la Crítica): «Una novela de clima inolvidable» (Felipe Benítez Reyes); El alma del controlador aéreo: «Turbadora gran novela» (Enrique Vila-Matas); F. (Premio Ciudad de Barcelona): «Excelente» (Ricardo Senabre, El Mundo); Finalmusik: «Con sentido del humor y su aguda visión crítica subraya algunas de las grandes paradojas de nuestro tiempo» (María Luisa Blanco, El País); El espía: «Fascinante» (José Luis Amores, Revista de Letras); Gran Granada (Premio Andalucía de la Crítica): «Una novela negra que no renuncia a ser una novela del propio Navarro, con su estilo riguroso, inteligente, tajante» (Nadal Suau, El Cultural); Petit Paris: «Una historia llena de tensión narrativa, con un lenguaje que amplía todas las posibilidades de la novela negra» (J. A. Masoliver Ródenas, La Vanguardia),  Bologna Boogie: «El comisario Polo forma parte ya de lo mejor que nos ha dado el policiaco nacional, junto y entre Plinio y Carvalho. Otra prueba más del gran novelista que es Justo Navarro» (José Luis G. Gómez, La Opinión de Málaga) y DumDum, estudio de grabación, así como los ensayos El videojugador: «Hacen falta libros como este, capaces de romper la inercia del pensamiento y de actualizar el placer de la curiosidad libre de prejuicios» (Sergio del Molino, Revista Mercurio), y, con José María Pérez Zúñiga, La carta robada. El caso del posfranquismo democrático.

Vista previa del libro

Índice

Portada

Los privilegios

Epílogo: April y los monstruos, por Justo Navarro

Créditos

Notas

El autor agradece la inestimable ayuda de Amanda Urban, Ann Patty, Jennifer Smith, Todd Kimble, la Colonia MacDowell, la Corporation of Yaddo y la National Endowment for the Arts.

1

¡Una boda! La primera de una generación; la novia y el novio sólo tienen veintidós años, demasiado jóvenes para casarse en estos tiempos. La mayoría de sus amigos llegaron en avión ayer y, aunque están en Pittsburgh, una ciudad de medio millón de habitantes, exhiben una desorientación esnob y simpática, porque vienen de Chicago y Nueva York, pero también porque imaginar que están de pronto en medio de la nada encaja perfectamente con la sensación que les causa el acontecimiento en general, su novedad inquietante y mágica. Todos, por supuesto, han asistido alguna vez, de niños o adolescentes, a la boda de un tío o un primo e incluso, en algún caso, a la boda de su madre o de su padre, así que saben qué pueden esperar. Pero ésta es la primera vez que participan como amigos y coetáneos de los novios; y la euforia rara y anárquica que sienten va ligada al miedo de que los estén empujando, en la persona de otros, al mundo responsable de los adultos, un mundo en el que la salida desaparecerá a sus espaldas, y para el que se sienten orgullosos de no estar preparados. Son adultos que fingen ser niños que fingen ser adultos. El ensayo de la cena nupcial acabó anoche con la paciencia del encargado del restaurante, que amenazó con llamar a la policía. El nuevo día se desarrolla como una mezcla inestable de trascendencia y acampada. Nueve horas antes de la cita en la iglesia, muchos siguen durmiendo, pero ya las viejas y sólidas paredes del Athletic Club de Pittsburgh parecen vibrar con un exceso de entusiasmo señorial.

Mediados de septiembre. Desde el Día del Trabajo, una ola de calor tardía y desalentadora recorre la mitad occidental de Pennsylvania. Cynthia se despierta en casa de su madre, en una cama en la que sólo se ha despertado cinco o seis veces en su vida, y en lo primero que piensa es en qué tiempo hará. Se pone una camiseta por si hay alguien más despierto, pasa junto a su insoportable hermanastra Deborah (nunca Debbie) que duerme con un pijama de franela y medio cuerpo fuera del sofá del cuarto de estar, y abre la puerta corredera de la terraza, desde donde ve a lo lejos las banderolas fláccidas del campo de golf de Fox Chapel. Hace fresco, un fresco tolerable por lo menos, aunque sea todavía demasiado temprano para darlo por seguro. Ni siquiera serán las siete, piensa. No es que esté preocupada. El fantasma de sus damas de honor poniéndose botellas de cerveza en la frente para refrescarse, o de Adam secándose el sudor de los ojos mientras le promete fidelidad, sólo le provoca una sonrisa. No es de las que flaquean cuando las cosas no marchan a la perfección; lo que más le importa es que nadie que la conozca pueda olvidar jamás ese día, un día legendario del que hablarán sus amigas. Vuelve a entrar en la casa, deja atrás sus propias huellas, que poco a poco se borran del rocío en el suelo de cedro de la terraza.

Nunca se había imaginado una boda en Pittsburgh, porque jamás había tenido ninguna razón para imaginársela hasta que su madre volvió a casarse y se mudó a Pittsburgh dos años atrás. Si alguna vez había pensado en la boda, siempre había dado por supuesto que se casaría en Joliet Park, pero a mediados de su último semestre en Colgate se enteró de que su padre había vendido la antigua casa, en la que llevaba sin vivir mucho tiempo; y cuando Cynthia anunció su compromiso, la madre, Ruth, se lanzó a una de sus implacables diatribas a propósito de que Warren, su padrastro, formaba «parte de la familia» y no toleraba la menor insinuación de que lo que decía no era absolutamente cierto. Obligar a aquellas personalidades desbordantes a volver a Joliet Park, escenario de la disolución familiar, sólo para quejarse de la distribución de sitios en la mesa y de los viejos amigos, cuyas alianzas después del divorcio eran a veces dolorosamente ambiguas, ni se planteaba. Hubiera sido una forma de nostalgia cruel y, además, sin sentido. Una boda representa el futuro, si es que significa algo.

Podrían haberse casado en Nueva York –donde Cynthia y Adam compartían ya un apartamento– y de hecho ésa fue la solución que Adam había tratado de imponer con delicadeza, sobre la base, típicamente masculina, de la máxima simplicidad. Pero la verdad era que a Cynthia aquello no le parecía lo suficientemente insólito, apenas distinto de la típica salida nocturna de los sábados a beber y bailar con los amigos, aunque con trajes más elegantes y peor música. No sabía muy bien por qué le atraía la idea de una gran boda al estilo sentimental, el tipo de boda que obliga a los invitados a planear un viaje, pero no tenía costumbre de cuestionar sus propios deseos. Así que era en Pittsburgh. Adam se encogió de hombros y dijo que lo único que le preocupaba era hacerla feliz; su padre le mandó desde donde estuviera viviendo entonces una nota muy cariñosa, en la que insinuaba que la idea de Pittsburgh se le había ocurrido a él desde el principio, y Warren se manifestó sacando el talonario de cheques, respuesta que, a decir verdad, a Cynthia no le resultó indiferente.

Pasa de puntillas junto al sofá para no despertar a Deborah, porque despertarla podría hacer que hablara, y el día en que una se casa hay torturas que es mejor evitar. No se conocen demasiado, pero Deborah tiene cosas que provocan las burlas de Cynthia como si llevaran años viviendo juntas. Los pijamas de franela, por ejemplo: Deborah apenas le lleva dos años, pero es tan friolera que Ruth y ella podrían ser compañeras de habitación en un asilo de ancianos. Habían comprado la casa con la idea de emprender una segunda vida, una vida en la que los hijos ya habían crecido y se habían ido, lo que explica que sólo disponga de un dormitorio extra. Aunque el sofá parece satisfactoriamente incómodo, Cynthia tenía pensado mandar a Deborah al Athletic Club con el resto de los invitados, para que su mejor amiga y primera dama de honor, Marietta, pudiera ocupar su lugar en la casa. Pero las obligaciones familiares son perversas. Es totalmente absurdo que esa cretina asexuada, palpablemente hostil, sea una de sus damas de honor y que, en consecuencia, tenga que sentirse dolida una de sus muchas amigas íntimas; pero ahí está.

En la cocina la madre de Cynthia, Ruth, que ahora se apellida Harris, se toma un té de pie, envuelta hasta los tobillos en un albornoz verde cerrado hasta el cuello. Cynthia pasa a su lado y abre el frigorífico sin decir una palabra.

–Warren ha salido –dice Ruth, respondiendo a una pregunta que a Cynthia ni se le había ocurrido hacer–. Ha ido a buscar café para ti. En casa sólo tenemos descafeinado, así que ha salido especialmente por ti.

Cynthia arruga la frente ante la desfachatez del café descafeinado, fetiche de los viejos y de los tristes. Coge una rebanada de pan de la encimera, se pone de puntillas para llegar al armario donde recuerda que se guardan las mermeladas de toda la vida y, entonces, al sentir clavados los ojos de su madre, vuelve la cabeza y, mirándola por encima del hombro, dice:

–¿Qué pasa?

Es la ropa interior: el hecho de que se pasee por la casa en ropa interior, pero también la ropa interior en sí misma, su pretenciosidad, el hecho de que su hija se haya convertido en una mujer a la que le gusta gastar mucho dinero en ropa interior. Desvergüenza es la palabra. Lo único que pide Ruth en un día tan especial es un poco de seriedad, la debida sensación de nerviosismo e incluso de miedo para la que ya encontraría ella algún tipo de alivio. Un último gesto de dependencia. Pero no: había quedado claro desde hacía semanas que para su hija todo aquello no era un rito de paso a la condición de mujer, sino una fiesta, un festín para Cynthia y sus amigos, y que Warren y ella sólo figuraban para pagar la cuenta. En los últimos seis, ocho años, casi siempre que miraba a su hija aparecía en la cara de Ruth cierta expresión, un aire de «ya te enterarás», aunque no supiera contestar a la pregunta «¿de qué?», y tuviera que callarse. El vientre plano de Cynthia, sus caderas estrechas y firmes, y sobre todo el descaro con que se mueve en un cuerpo tan próximo al ideal moderno, están destinados a provocar una gama imprevisible de respuestas; en este mundo las mujeres satisfechas de sí mismas también sufren muchas humillaciones, y Ruth lleva ya años intentando dejar constancia de su sabiduría, casi siempre con un simple fruncimiento de cejas.

Pero se enfada consigo misma; hoy, lo niegue quien lo niegue, no es un día cualquiera. Siente el eco lejano de su propio pánico en las horas que precedieron a su primera boda, un pánico en parte sexual, y que supone un lazo entre ella y su hija, aunque la sexualidad de Cynthia sea un tema al que ya no tiene fuerza –la perdió hace mucho tiempopara acercarse.

–Bueno –dice, buscando un tono conciliador–. Hoy es un día muy especial para ti.

Y Cynthia se vuelve, abre la boca, se echa a reír: una risa que Ruth ha oído antes y contra la que sólo cabe refugiarse en los recuerdos de cuando su única hija era una niña.

Detrás de ellas, el reloj digital del microondas parpadea silenciosamente: las siete y media. Deborah, a la que han despertado sus propios ronquidos, emite un débil gemido que nadie oye y hunde aún más la cara en el hueco entre los cojines y el respaldo del sofá. En el Athletic Club la recepcionista de fin de semana consulta la ficha impresa y marca la extensión de la habitación de Adam. Mira el programa de los actos del día y reconoce el nombre del esposo; además de despertarlo como prescribe la ficha, añade a los buenos días su enhorabuena, porque lo vio anoche y es guapo.

–Gracias –responde Adam, y cuelga. También él se acerca a la ventana para comprobar qué tiempo hace. Pero su ventana da al callejón, y seguramente la televisión le ofrecerá una noción más clara de cómo se presenta el día. Enciende el televisor, sin sonido, aunque vuelve a echarse en la cama, con las manos entrelazadas detrás de la cabeza, y se olvida de mirar.

No soporta dormir solo y a eso se debe quizá que, minutos antes de que sonara el teléfono, tuviera un sueño extraño, un sueño en el que conducía un coche sin volante, un coche que respondía a los más ligeros desplazamientos de su peso, como un monopatín o un trineo.

Falta una hora para el desayuno en el restaurante del hotel con sus padres y su hermano menor y padrino de boda, Conrad. Lo piensa e inmediatamente trata de olvidarlo, para no sentirse culpable en caso de llegar tarde. El ensayo de la cena nupcial le ha dejado una ligera resaca, aunque, reflexiona, otros tendrán motivos para estar mucho más resacosos. Es demasiado temprano para llamar a Cynthia, que probablemente seguirá durmiendo. Lo que de verdad lo tranquilizaría sería un poco de sexo con ella: así empieza la mañana casi siempre, así espanta las vagas angustias con que se despierta. Pero hoy no podrá ser. Obedeciendo a una repentina inspiración, se incorpora y, por encima del cabecero de la cama, golpea con el puño la pared que comparte con la habitación de Conrad.

Conrad no lo oye; lleva una hora levantado y está en la ducha, ensayando el brindis por los novios. Es la única obligación que le hizo dudar antes de aceptar el papel de padrino. Se sonroja y tiembla cada vez que tiene que hablar en público; y qué relativamente fácil sería salir airoso del paso en un salón lleno de desconocidos, qué diferente resulta ante amigos y familiares con licencia para burlarse sin piedad y sin fin, gente ante quien le sería imposible fingir, ni siquiera un momento, que es otro distinto de quien es.

–Son una pareja encantadora –repite, porque es una frase en la que se ha atrancado varias veces, y es demasiado tarde para sustituirla por otra–. Son una pareja encantadora, joder. –Y empieza desde el principio.

Amigos de la novia y del novio se despiertan en otras habitaciones de la segunda y la tercera planta del Athletic Club, amigos emparejados, amigos con relaciones prometedoras o compromisos serios, y a esta hora casi todos se entregan a un impulso sexual de una potencia preocupante incluso en la flor de la juventud. Algunos se ríen, y otros miran con tal intensidad a los ojos de su pareja que, cuando lo recuerden una hora más tarde, evitarán la mirada del otro. No están acostumbrados a la lujuria de las habitaciones de hotel; y la conciencia de que en este especialísimo fin de semana no sólo se han infiltrado en este club tan rancio, sino que se han adueñado de él, confiere a cada encuentro íntimo un subterráneo sentido colectivo, una sensación de orgía que despierta el deseo de ofender a los extraños y disfrutar hasta echar abajo las paredes del edificio.

Y, en efecto, una pareja golpea con tal violencia el cabecero contra la pared que los separa de la cama de los padres de Adam, que su madre reza por no conocerlos. Incluso le pide a su marido que llame a recepción y se queje, pero su marido está en el baño y, por principio, sólo oye lo que quiere.

A las ocho y media el coche de Marietta entra en el camino que lleva a la puerta de los Harris. En la cocina, como una hermana, besa a Cynthia, todavía sin vestir.

–Dios mío, joder, qué calor hace fuera –dice Marietta–. Vaya, señora Sikes. Perdón, señora Harris.

Es más de lo que Ruth puede soportar; sonríe admonitoriamente y se va de la cocina.

–¿Qué? ¿Vamos a la peluquería? –dice Marietta, pero entonces, de pronto, aparece Deborah en la puerta con el pelo revuelto y la tapicería del sofá marcada en la cara, y las mira con un odio tribal.

–Está sonando tu teléfono –dice a su hermanastra. Se da media vuelta y se va.

El teléfono está en el suelo del dormitorio, debajo de la chaqueta que Cynthia se puso para la cena de ensayo. Marietta la sigue por la sala de estar.

–Gracias por haberme llevado el teléfono, Debski –dice Cynthia, aunque Deborah se ha metido en el cuarto de baño–. ¿No te has traído el vestido? ¿Dónde está?

–En el frigorífico –dice Marietta.

–No seas niña. ¿No te has enterado? Hoy es mi Gran Día.

–Eso digo yo. Tú eres la novia. Todavía puedes cambiar las reglas de cómo hay que vestirse; para ir de playa, por ejemplo.

–Ve en camiseta a tu boda, guarra –dice Cynthia–. En Pittsburgh no somos así.

–Aquí no me siento especialmente fresca –dice Marietta–. Es lo único que digo.

Sentado en su butaca, viendo la CNN, Warren lo oye todo cuando pasan y, aunque quisiera ser una especie de padre para esa joven, sabe que por el momento la única respuesta digna es fingir que no está en la habitación.

Cynthia le sonríe a Marietta y sale con el teléfono a la terraza.

–¿No da esto mala suerte? –dice, cerrando la puerta a su espalda.

–Anoche vi a tu padre en el vestíbulo del hotel –dice Adam–. Lo reconocí por la foto. Parece en forma. ¿Todavía no lo has llamado?

–No –dice, y se le acelera el corazón–. Lo llamaré dentro de un rato. ¿Qué hora es?

–Las cuatro menos cuarto.

–Muy gracioso. Lo que digo es si no tendrías que estar desayunando con tus padres.

–Quizá.

–No los dejes solos con Conrad, por Dios. Ya sabes cómo se ponen. Y Conrad tiene los anillos. No nos conviene estar a malas con él.

Adam sonríe mientras espera el ascensor en el pasillo vacío del hotel.

–¿Te puedes creer lo que estamos haciendo? –dice.

El entarimado de la terraza empieza a quemarle los pies y Cynthia dice:

–Todavía estamos a tiempo de echarnos atrás, si llamas por eso.

–Bueno, tengo todavía siete horas para pensarlo, ¿no?

–Yo también. Vamos a ver: si no he llegado, digamos, a las cuatro menos diez, hazte a la idea de que no voy. ¿De acuerdo?

–Estupendo. Teniendo en cuenta que está todo pagado, si no apareces llamaré a una de las damas de honor y me casaré con ella.

–¿A cuál le has echado el ojo?

Hay una pausa.

–Te he echado de menos cuando me he despertado esta mañana –dice Adam.

La bruma ha borrado el campo de golf que se divisaba al amanecer. Cynthia cierra los ojos.

–Yo también –dice–. No te olvides de las fotos, ¿vale?

–A las dos y cuarto en la Sala de Trofeos. Conrad no se separa del papel con el programa.

–Perfecto. Hasta luego, entonces. Disfruta de tus últimas horas de libertad.

–Te dejo –dice Adam–. Han llegado las putas.

Cynthia le cuelga, sonriendo. En el cuarto de estar, incómoda, Marietta la espera mientras Deborah, en el sofá otra vez, la mira como un perro guardián, como un emisario del hampa, de los proscritos por la sociedad. Marietta interpreta su odio como una muestra de celos, lo que suaviza su propia actitud.

–¿Qué? –dice, y recuerda que Deborah se está especializando en algo en alguna universidad–. ¿Cómo van los estudios?

Adam entra en el comedor del hotel y ve que sus padres, a la mesa con un Conrad de aspecto afligido, han pedido el desayuno pero no lo han tocado. Perdieron ayer el avión en Nueva York y llegaron demasiado tarde para asistir al ensayo de la cena nupcial, y quizá haya sido mejor así. Besa a su madre en la coronilla.

–¿Qué tal la habitación? –pregunta–. ¿Está todo a vuestro gusto?

El padre de Adam hace un ruido sarcástico, que su madre reconoce y se apresura a tapar.

–Muy agradable –dice–. Muy cómoda. Tienes que decirme quiénes son los padres de Cynthia para que les demos las gracias.

Los padres de Adam y Cynthia no se conocen. Ni tampoco parecía muy necesario que se conocieran.

–¿Marietta llegó anoche a casa sana y salva? –pregunta Adam a Conrad, que asiente sin dejar de comer porque está deseando que termine el desayuno.

Adam le hace una señal a la camarera para que le traiga café. No ha mirado a sus padres desde que se ha sentado. Nadie mira al señor Morey, quien, sin embargo, parece reconcentrarse misteriosamente como un reloj a punto de dar la hora. Dos ataques cardíacos le han encorvado los hombros como si fuera mucho más viejo de lo que es en realidad. Arriba, en la habitación, hay cuatro bombonas portátiles de oxígeno, por si las necesitara, y su mujer lleva en el bolso un surtido de pastillas y números de teléfono. Pero su irascibilidad y sus arrebatos incontrolados sugieren que los problemas físicos son una especie de extensión de su carácter, y todos los que lo conocen, temiendo su orgullo furibundo, le hacen el menor caso posible. Lo atormenta el general florecimiento de la estupidez y la escoria que lo rodea por todas partes. Montador de calderas y tuberías, había llegado a convertirse en un alto dirigente sindical antes de que la enfermedad lo forzara a jubilarse. El Athletic Club de Pittsburgh es exactamente el tipo de sitio que lo irrita profundamente. Su mujer lo ha obligado a ponerse chaqueta y corbata para el desayuno, lo que le costará tener que aguantarlo un mes por lo menos.

Pero, a diferencia de su hermano, Adam no se siente incómodo con sus padres en el comedor, porque ya no se considera vinculado a su familia. Le divierte su manía compulsiva de ser ellos mismos y, a la menor oportunidad, disfruta dándoles cuerda como a una caja de música.

–¿Sabéis lo que he encontrado en mi habitación? ¿En el cajón de la cómoda? La lista de precios de las habitaciones. ¿La habéis visto, tíos? ¿Tenéis idea de lo que cuesta este sitio?

–Adam, por favor –murmura su madre–. Precisamente hoy...

–Da la casualidad de que la he visto –dice su padre, enrojeciendo–. Me alegra no ser el imbécil que paga todo esto.

–Otra razón para alegrarnos de no haber tenido niñas –dice su madre, y se ríe como si la estuvieran grabando con una cámara.

–Para mí no hubiera supuesto ninguna diferencia, ninguna –dice el señor Morey–. No tengo que montar un espectáculo para nadie. No finjo ser lo que no soy.

Adam se levanta de pronto.

–Ah, mirad, ahí está el señor Sikes –dice–. Perdonad. Tengo que practicar para llamarlo papá.

Y atraviesa el comedor hacia donde el apuesto padre de la novia se sienta solo y lee el periódico. Conrad, incrédulo, observa cómo se aleja. Sus padres se miran acusadoramente. Al instante llega la camarera y llena de café la taza de Adam.

Las puertas del salón de baile del hotel están cerradas y, al otro lado, en los momentos de silencio, se oyen las aspiradoras en funcionamiento. Adolescentes en ceremoniosas faldas negras van de mesa en mesa, comprobando la distribución de los invitados, contando con los dedos. Lo hacen despacio; el aire acondicionado está al máximo, y en el salón, todavía sin gente, hace un frío exótico: es el sitio más frío del hotel. Sólo los desesperados por un cigarrillo atraviesan la doble puerta que lleva a las cocinas infernales y, más allá, al callejón lleno de humo.

En el bar del hotel se sienta la encargada de organizar la boda, madrugadora como siempre, después de mandar a su hijo y un amigo a la floristería en su furgoneta, rezando por que no hayan parado en el camino a fumarse un porro. Por eso no les paga por adelantado. El bar no está todavía oficialmente abierto, pero Masha conoce a todo el mundo en el Athletic Club; ésta es la cuarta celebración que organiza en el Club este año. Aunque aún no es mediodía, le apetece (como diría su padre) una copa que sea una copa, y Omar, el barman, se la serviría con toda seguridad, pero del alcohol en el trabajo no hay ni que hablar. Trasciende una cosa así y tu reputación sufre un golpe definitivo. Es verdad que la novia –cuya actitud de superioridad a Masha no le gusta especialmente– ni siquiera es de Pittsburgh y se comporta como si no tuviera que volver a pisar nunca más el lugar después de la boda; pero el padrastro, cuyo nombre figura en los cheques, es uno de los abogados más influyentes del bufete Reed Smith, y la madre, cuya actitud de superioridad todavía le gusta menos, es de esa clase de personas que sufren una insatisfacción crónica y lo que más desean es armar un escándalo, con motivo o sin motivo.

Pero ése es el secreto del éxito de Masha: dedicarse no a las personas, que pueden fallarte, sino a la ceremonia, que no lo hace jamás. No suele decirlo en voz alta, pero se cree la centinela de algo, una pequeña pieza en el dique que mantiene a raya la indiferencia absoluta hacia las pocas cosas que siempre han sido importantes, rito, devoción y responsabilidad. Cuando consideras el asunto en estos términos, menos te preocupan las familias y más se ennoblece tu trabajo. Su matrimonio se deshizo al cabo de nueve años, pero eso no empañaba en absoluto los recuerdos preciosos del día de su boda; en realidad, piensa, eso es lo único que te queda, eso y un hijo muy querido, aunque no exactamente digno de confianza. Por otra parte, si estuviera en sus manos, aún seguirían juntos, hijo, marido y mujer, en los momentos felices y en los momentos difíciles. Pero no todo depende de ella.

Una pareja de la edad de los novios entra en el bar y Omar les dice que está cerrado. El chico parece decidido a protestar, pero la chica dice:

–Déjalo. Tengo que subir a ducharme otra vez.

Esto es lo que hoy nos espera, piensa Masha: una fiesta de sudor. Treinta y un grados según el televisor sin sonido, sobre la cabeza afeitada de Omar. Era parte del riesgo que asumían cuando eligieron la más vieja, nunca modernizada, y hermosa iglesia católica de Pittsburgh. Por eso ha esperado hasta última hora para las flores. El clima no podía programarlo a gusto del cliente. Lo que no evitará que la madre la maldiga de todas formas.

Al otro lado de la ciudad, Cynthia y Marietta se sientan confusas e intimidadas, descamisadas, envueltas en sábanas viejas con un agujero para que sobresalga la cabeza, mientras una polaca que no abre la boca (recomendada por Masha) y su joven ayudante las peinan. Se toman el pelo mutuamente con historias de los días de la universidad, y todas las historias entrañan vergüenza o remordimiento, pero no hay ni una con la que no se rían. Pocas tratan de hombres, porque Cynthia y Marietta encontraron pareja en segundo curso. Las polacas, en una especie de tema de fondo, hablan de Dios sabe qué en un polaco taciturno, al menos hasta que Cynthia dice algo sobre las terribles ganas de fumar que le produce semejante suplicio.

–No, por favor –dice la polaca de más edad, con las tijeras en el aire–. Gran beso ante el altar, y su marido piensa: «Joder, la cabeza de mi mujer huele como un cenicero.»

Cynthia y Marietta se miran a través del espejo, contando ya la anécdota por ahí.

Han abierto las puertas de la iglesia para que corra el aire, pero el polvo pende inmóvil en las franjas de luz que descienden oblicuas de los altos ventanales. Masha observa cómo su hijo, que tiene enrojecidos los ojos, y su amigo mexicano, a quien en secreto llama Señor Detención, intentan poner derecha la alfombra blanca sobre la moqueta descolorida por el sol, entre los bancos. Se saca del bolsillo una lista muy arrugada, pasa junto a los chicos arrodillados y se acerca al púlpito; volviéndose hacia las filas de asientos vacíos, golpea solemnemente con un dedo el micrófono encendido.

–No se expongan al calor –dice sin esperanza la polaca mientras Cynthia y Marietta vuelven a abotonarse la camisa–. O todo se vendrá abajo.

Con el aire acondicionado del coche al máximo, Marietta vuelve a entrar en el camino de acceso a casa de los Harris. Delante de la puerta de la cocina, de pie en el escalón y apoyando la espalda en la pared, a la sombra exigua del alero, Deborah fuma un cigarrillo entre botas de goma y utensilios de jardinería. Ya se ha puesto el traje de dama de honor. Con los ojos prácticamente cerrados, mira con odio el parabrisas tintado del coche.

–¿Qué hace? –dice Marietta, como si sintiera miedo.

–No lo sé –dice Cynthia, cansada–. Siempre se está quejando de algo.

–Pero ¿por qué fuma fuera con el calor que hace? ¿Está prohibido fumar en casa de tu madre?

–Warren fuma. No para de fumar en la casa.

–Entonces por qué ella...

–¿Sabes qué? –dice Cynthia–. Da marcha atrás. No aguanto la idea de meterme ahí dentro. Vámonos. Sé un sitio adonde podemos ir.

Deborah sonríe cuando ve que se van, pensando en el ataque de pánico de su madrastra. Madre e hija se parecen mucho: incapacidad total para verse a través de los ojos del prójimo, nulo interés en hacerlo. Nadie abre jamás un libro en esa casa monstruosa, infernal y maldita de Dios, incluyendo a su padre, cuya noción de perfeccionamiento personal se limita a ver la serie Misterios sin resolver. Lo que siempre le ha interesado menos de su padre es el dinero, pero ahora que permite que esas dos se lo gasten como si fuera de ellas, las considera dos aprovechadas, especialmente a su supuesta hermanastra. Deborah sabe que a él le duele. Haz un esfuerzo, le repite su padre, pero no se necesita ningún esfuerzo para comprender a gente como Cynthia y sus amigas. Un día se darán cuenta de golpe de que se ha acabado el colegio.

Adam está sentado en la cama en ropa interior. Ve en la televisión el partido de los Pirates. Piensa en la posibilidad de masturbarse, por aburrimiento, pero es bastante probable que Conrad o algún otro llame a la puerta. Tiene la impresión de que al otro lado de las paredes reina una gran agitación, pero nada parece exigir su presencia por el momento. Hace demasiado calor para salir a correr. ¿Por qué han fijado la boda para las cuatro de la tarde? La soledad y la inactividad lo

Comentarios para Los privilegios

[tuke_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Interesting characters, good story; but the ending is rushed.

[fefferbooks · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

I'll spare you the diatribe about how a certain swear word is replacing the need to use intelligent, colorful, descriptive vocabulary and just say this: if you feel the same way I do about that, skip this book.

[thatotter-1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Well written and well plotted--in this sense, a good book. But I found it hard to feel invested in characters as selfish, insular, and unlikeable as these.

[anissaannalise-1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I liked the writing style but found the characters to be nothing special. Though Adam & Cynthia Morey are so profoundly wrapped up in themselves as a couple that it's enough that they think they're the apex & acme of everything. They are correct in a way. They are the apex & acme of their little world & I do mean little. It's a tight bubble they've constructed for themselves that even their children can't breach. It almost made for an interesting character study. Sadly, in the end, I didn't feel that there was all that much to Adam & Cynthia or their children to catapult them into being truly interesting. They simply weren't that deep & since they were content to be that way, I was content not to care much one way or the other.

I didn't care that general morality didn't come into most things that propelled Adam & Cynthia or that they were deeply interested in the acquisition of wealth. Adam & Cynthia, we're told in the outset, are "brilliant & beautiful" and ready to take the world (or at least Manhattan) by storm. So it's not the most original aspiration but it's at least an aspiration & there's nothing wrong with wanting more. Over time, I believed the "beautiful" in both of them. Adam worked to maintain his & Cynthia coasted on her looks & youth & was content as long as she was the youngest & prettiest in the group. I had a more difficult time buying into their "brilliance". Adam was financially savvy & had a penchant for risk that propelled him & so he made a lot of money. When he was passed over for promotions because he didn't have the requisite degree, he didn't consider that he should get said degree, he felt it was a flaw in the system. He seemed already not to understand why the rule should apply to him. That he turns to illegal means to amass even more wealth was no surprise to me. Adam felt entitled so nothing else mattered. Cynthia was a dilettante who more or less found herself in the role of Mom and became all the things she sneered at before. All without one scintilla of irony or introspection. Adam & Cynthia, don't do introspection or look into the past. They find it a waste of time. They live in the "Today". This is a recurring theme throughout the book. So much underscored by the lack of ties they have to anything or anyone. They don't have friends & don't keep in contact with the families they came from. They don't even vacation in the same place twice until Adam needs to make drops & pickups to the offshore bank in Anguilla. What they are is supremely impressed with themselves & highly self-congratulatory. Since there was no one else around close enough to be supremely impressed with them 24/7 it's just as well that they did that themselves. People were impressed from afar though. Besides, Adam & Cynthia would have been put off by copious accolades from others because of the sheer disdain & disregard they had for the opinions of others.

I have always enjoyed stories where the characters aren't terribly likable so I didn't need to like any of the Moreys. What I wanted was to get to know them but once it was clear that they didn't do that, I was a bit disappointed. They weren't interested in who they really were so there was no way for me to connect with them more deeply. It's not the worst thing in the world but it did make Adam & Cynthia's turn to caring about the Morey legacy, laughable. I'm positive that they didn't even know what that means. It was a twisted & comedic turn in the last chapter of the book, given everything laid out before. Twenty-two or twenty-four years have elapsed since their wedding in the first chapter & they still don't have any idea of what it means to be a part of a family & can't see the world outside of their couplehood. Adam has amassed wealth. Cynthia participates in & chairs many charities. Neither has fostered in their children what wealth is for anything other than the acquisition of possessions & building a cocoon. Nor have they ever bothered to define what it means to be a Morey, for their children. Everything for Adam & Cynthia begins with Year Zero (their wedding) & that never changes. There is no before. No grandparents. No stories of Adam & Cynthia's childhoods (which were typically middle class, not tragic or deprived). No uncles, cousins or even friends that knew them when. There are no stories. No histories to cotton onto. No sense of continuity. Yet, Adam & Cynthia think they're in the league of legacies. How they, in their brilliance, missed that it's more than just net worth is beyond me. They have two children who have neither drive, determination, purpose or any vision of what they want for their lives or the future. For all the tony schools & best that money can buy, they aren't even shown to have been particularly gifted in any way that propels them into any career path. It's not even mentioned what university, if any, April graduated from. Neither April nor Jonas has a clear idea of what their parents do, from employ to charity, to be invested in anything but calling for the plane or asking for money. Adam & Cynthia never bothered to include their children in anything so it's insane that they'd think either would care about any sort of legacy. The Moreys don't do continuity & sadly, the book ends before Adam or Cynthia realize that their children are exactly who they taught them to be.

Overall, a decent read. Great for vacation or airport time. Not too long, too deep or moralistic.

[jgrann_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Shows how a strong couple holds their marriage and family together in the context of extreme wealth. A theme across many characters concerned the risks and potential rewards of living in the moment and not reflecting on the past. For the main protagonists, this perspective is richly rewarded by the financial industry. I think the perspective may also may be a key to the couple's strong marriage in so far as they continually choose one another. However, the perspective doesn't play out as well for their children or other relatives, giving the book a moral message about the thin line between success and tragedy in modern life. The theme is also repeated through a mentally ill artist that acts out impulsively and is obsessively stuck in repetitive art. His art comes from working without any apparent consciousness or ambition, which reinforces his pathetic life and also almost earns him widespread recognition and fame. The novel led me to reflect on family, love, parenthood, ambition, and the fairness of society. Great humane writing throughout.

[molugum_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I also read the Franzen review . By the end of the book I was mystified by Franzen's comment "aren't we supposed to despise these people?" because I most certainly did. The main characters Adam and Cynthia are cold, calculating, dishonest and narcissistic , perhaps even sociopathic. I didn't find their transformation from strivers to philanthropists convincing at all, unless it was just completely about ego and promoting their "brand". Halfway through the book, I actually thought they were going to receive their come-uppance, but no, they just get richer. Actually, maybe that is true in contemporary life as well, an individual "too big to fail" trajectory, but as a reader it isn't very satisfying. Are there people out there who really believe charity is a substitute for fair wages and basic human rights? My children are sons and daughters of a pipefitter. If any of then turned out like these two, I'd cut their throats myself.The writing was beautiful though, and I will definitely read something else by Jonathan Dee in the future. To be fair, I'm just the wrong person for this story.Pat

[bookstar_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

The beginning started slow, almost to the point that I put it down, but instead I started to care a little. The middle was great - interesting, fast paced, but by part 4 I was totally unimpressed. Once the kids were older, it just didn't grab me, I wasn't invested in them as adults, and found all the characters to have lost any dimension. The end left me more baffled than satisfied.

[gayla.bassham · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Hmm. Not sure what to think. I liked Jonas. I liked a lot of the writing. The problem is that I found Adam, Cynthia, and April utterly irritating, and although I can read and enjoy books about unlikable characters, it didn't work for me in this book.

[pegmcdaniel · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I'm giving this novel three stars because I enjoyed the first half which is about the parents. The second half is about the two spoiled children of these parents. I felt the story fell apart during the second half.The Privileges was on the Top 40 Books of 2010 list. It was listed at Number 18. I had read no reviews and, since I'd had it for a while, I decided to read it so I could check it off the list. On the same list are Room, Freedom, Unbroken, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Mr. Peanut,and so many more books which I considered way better than this one. I'm wondering how it even got on the list!The protagonist's main purpose in life is to make as much money as possible so he can give his family as many possessions as they desire, even if it's done illegally. Otherwise, this guy is so shallow and so is his "perfect" wife. You can only imagine how their children turned out.Mr. Dee has done some excellent writing, but this novel is not his best.

[iubookgirl · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

Haven't we all dreamed of being wealthy and privileged at some point in our lives? Well, The Privileges is the story of what some people are willing to do to achieve that life of wealth and privilege. The novel follows the Morey family from its beginnings with the marriage of Adam and Cynthia to the beginnings of adulthood for their children, April and Jonas. The story is presented in four snapshots of the Morey family. After the wedding in section one, the other three sections center around different phases of the children's lives including elementary school, high school and college age.I'm not typically a reader of examinations of American families, but this book had enough to keep me engaged. I was struck almost immediately by the author's straightforward, declarative prose. It was this coupled with my desire to know whether Adam's actions would catch up with him and his family that kept me reading. In the end, The Privileges had me wondering, "Was it worth it?" "Did a life of privilege make for a better life?" I made a pretty quick decision and moved on with my life.Bottom line? If you enjoy reading about American families and their inner workings, I think you'll enjoy The Privileges. If not, check to see if any of Dee's other books sound more appealing. His writing style deserves a read.

[jcwlib · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This book is the second book profiling a marriage from start to finish that I've read in the past year. The first book was Stiltsville by Susanna Daniel. I don't know if my subconscious is pulling me towards these books because I'm getting married next year or what. In The Privileges, I kept waiting for them to fall out of love. Watching TV shows and movies, I'm become jaded in expecting marriages to fall apart. In a way it was hard to believe that two people so well off wouldn't be cheating on each other. I'm glad that Jonathan Dee provided a positive example of a wealthy couple still loving each other after a decade of marriage even if it's a fictional couple.Most of the story is told from the parents' view point, but there are some sections of the book from the kids' point of view as well. We learn a lot about Cynthia's family but not much about Adam's. They are only mentioned in the opening wedding scene and Conrad's visit in NYC later on. In a way I felt the book was a little slated towards Cynthia and her problems.I thought an interesting characteristic of Cynthia was her gut reaction to fix any problem was her checkbook. And when she found a situation that couldn't be fixed by her checkbook she was lost. Again, I'm curious if this characteristic is found in many wealthy housewives or it was just exaggerated for the plot of this book.I also found it interesting that Cynthia and Adam moved from apartment to apartment within the city and finally to a house on Long Island. In a way, Dee pointed out that wealthy folks don't end up in the big mansions right away. They move around "upgrading" each time they buy. I did appreciate in the last third of the book that Adam and Cynthia focused on giving away their money to others to help "make a difference." They reminded me of the work that Bill and Melinda Gates are doing through their foundation. This book was a great surprise and was a quick read. I would recommend it to readers who are fans of the TV show Gossip Girl or the book Nanny Diaries.

[billpilgrim_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I read this book because it was recommended by Jonathan Franzen to the New Yorker book club. It is another modern family show story, with a major focus on the children after they grow into adulthood (just barely). The couple in this story is very wealthy, as a result of the husband's talent for predicting the success or failure of companies and then making the correct investments in them. And, also as a result of his willingness to bend some of the rules regarding the use of insider information.I missed the husband's perspective in the final section of the book, where the author focusses mostly on the children. We see him full on only a couple of times. The book is successful to an extent, but I believe that it does not come to any sort of resolution to the arc that it took for the children. I could not really tell where they are headed at the end of the book.

[msf59 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

It begins with a wedding! It is a perfect start to this beautiful couple’s privileged life and this well-written narrative follows Cynthia and Adam Morey as they move to NYC, raise two gorgeous children and begin an impressive upward climb. Adam becomes a major player on Wall Street, while Cynthia becomes an ideal mother and wife. Adam is a restless, highly ambitious young man and soon finds himself dealing in the dangerous world of insider trading ,which places this highly privileged existence on a precipitous edge. Dee has crafted a good story here. His prose is sharp and crisp. It still seemed to fall short in a few places but there is still much to recommend it!

[theampersand · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

A well-written, sharply observed novel chronicling the ascent of Adam and Cynthia Morey, a pair of go-getters who ride the financial boom of the late nineties to social prominence and fabulous wealth. What makes this novel remarkable is the restraint that Jonathan Dee shows in telling their story. The Moreys, who are self-centered and not particularly given to self-reflection, are unlikely protagonists, but Dee refrains from judging them. Resisting the urge to score points with cheap irony or sarcasm, he describes their inner lives and motivations using clean, linear prose that betrays neither disapproval nor sympathy. The Moreys aren't Patrick Bateman-style psychopaths, or even particularly tragic figures. They're pragmatic and unimaginative to a fault, people who's taken the virtues of hard work and self-interest to their logical extremes. In Dee's narrative, their egocentricity and ethical lapses are made to seem less like personality flaws than the natural products of their particularly American, particularly modern worldviews. Adam might be guilty of insider trading, but he doesn't characterize himself as a criminal or a deviant. He and his wife are simply consummate operators who are willing to maximize every advantage life offers them. Readers seeking a Great Recession-era update to Fitzgerald's "The Beautiful and Damned" or Wolfe's "The Bonfire of the Vanities" are guaranteed to be disappointed by "The Privileges." Also notable is Dee's treatment of Jonas, the Morey's son, who endeavors to distance himself from his family's fortune in an effort to formulate a system of values unique to himself. He ends up, as many youths in his position do, becoming obsessed with popular music, and then drifts in to the world of outsider art. As a former upper-middle class record nerd, I found Jonas's yearning for "authenticity" particularly resonant, even though the author seems to conclude that everything, even authenticity, is molded by money's pervasive influence.

[jadfair_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

One would expect there to be a development of a sort of moral compass, it's what the reader waits for in the protagonist and his family. So bizarre that it never happens, he and his wife decide they are group zero to be uber-rich and so cut ties with their heritage. Like earlier reviews have said, the author chooses to just let it happen with interesting effect.

[dablackwood · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

An interesting read. Adam and Cynthia get married in the first section of the book. Just out of college, they are the first of their group of friends to marry. They quickly have two children, April and Jonas, and life is good. Adam is extremely successful financially - he works in hedge funds. His success is mostly achieved legally. Cynthia stays at home with the children and it all progresses. The author drops in on the family in about 5-7 year periods. The reader sees the changes in the family although Adam and Cynthia never stray - they are too in love to do so. Eventually we follow the children's lives as much as the parents. April is hanging out with a wild group of kids who aimlessly do drugs and abuse alcohol because they can. She has a serious scare and her parents ship her off to China on a trip with her dad. Meanwhile, Jonas, studying at U. of Chicago, gets himself in trouble when he seeks out an obscure artist in Wisconsin. Some of this is a bit bizarre as a part of the book as a whole. All in all, interesting, linear, well-written, and ultimately satisfying.

[kimspam66 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Life is good, very, very, good for Adam and Cynthia Morey. The Moneys, oops I mean Moreys, have lots of money thanks to Adam’s hedge fund trading, both legitimate and illegitimate. They are self made multimillionaires who live in the gilded ward of Manhattan’s Upper Eastside with a little place in the “country” as in the Hamptons. The Moreys also have two children, April and Jonas, who are raised to believe that every wish is entitled to fulfillment. As Cynthia angrily declares, “what was supposed to be the point of denying them anything?” In fact, Cynthia delights in the then seven year old, April’s, designer wants (she knows to ask for Tory Burch shoes!).To say that the Privileges is a character driven novel does not mean that the novel lacks a plotline, rather the story takes a back seat to the characters’ development. Every five years or so, the novel peeks in on the Moreys. And although time marches on, the characters follow largely predictable paths. The Moreys rarely take the time to reflect upon their actions. Nor are they particularly endearing. For instance, while the reader is repeatedly told of Adam and Cynthia’s great love, one never gains any insight into the relationship itself. That is, what drew them together and what sustains their love other than a mutual desire for money obtained through any means? In addition, while Cynthia and Adam have largely divorced their parents from their lives the reader not given a reason for this extreme behavior other than a few throw away references to growing up in modest circumstances and, in one case, a parent’s ill temper. In short, the characters’ inner lives remain shrouded in mystery.The Privileges, by Jonathan Dee, is a beautifully written novel about unlikeable characters living unexamined lives.

[karieh_2 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

The most telling quote of this book for me was early on in the story. Cynthia, a young bride on her wedding day, is thinking back to the planning for the event. The groom, Adam, had been in favor of something simpler, “But the truth was that that wouldn't have seemed unusual enough to Cynthia, too little distinct from a typical Saturday night out drinking and dancing with their friends, just with fancier clothes and a worse band. She wasn't completely sure why the idea should appeal to her at all – the big schmaltzy wedding, the sort of wedding for which everyone would have to make travel plans – but she didn't make a habit of questioning her wants.”Not questioning one's wants is what this book is about. It is about people who feel so entitled that their very wanting something justifies getting it, and the means necessary to do so. This proves true throughout Adam and Cynthia's life together. Though they do seem to love and be faithful to one another – their main commonality seems not to be desire for each other, but desire for things, for status, for power, for the bigger and better and faster and newer.This kind of thinking also shapes their parenting skills. When reflecting on her children, Cynthia thinks, “What was supposed to be the point of denying them anything? Who decided that not having things that your parents hadn't had either was character building somehow?” “And what was the point of getting hung up on how much things cost?”I must have read that sentence about not denying your children anything at least three times. Though I know that sentiment is out there, even in parents that can't afford to live by that way of reasoning, the thought makes me almost ill. The children that result from the absence of the word “no” in their lives are not ones that will neither live happy nor productive lives, nor be people I hope to encounter very often.April, Adam and Cynthia's daughter, certainly proves this to be true. “If, in a given activity, there was a next step to be taken – a taller cliff to dive from, purer drugs to try, something bigger and more difficult to steal – someone, at some point, was going to take that step, it was like a law of nature, and so let the record reflect that that someone was her.”This thought is a mirror of one her father has - “That was it: everything was open to them. What was life's object if not that? Adam knew on some level that he had to get as much money out of those Anguillian accounts as possible and shut them down, but more than that he wanted to just spend it all on the three of them, as orgiastically, challenge his family to come up with desires they hadn't even thought of yet and then make those desires real.”This is a book about people I don't understand and don't admire in the least. That is not to say it's a bad book, it's a story well and probably accurately told about people who have egos and desires even bigger than their grotesquely large bank accounts.(On a side note? There was one laugh out loud moment when the Hamptons are referred to as “a game preserve for rich people”.)“The Privileges” is a book about the ultra rich...and the children of the ultra rich. It's about a world that few of us understand and even fewer will ever experience. It's about a mindset that doesn't see any ramifications from one's actions, as long as those actions benefit oneself. It's a story that seems lurking behind the eyes of more and more people on the news these days...those people who are finally realizing that their privileges can't always save them from themselves.

[carycox_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I never would have believed I would feel sympathetic toward the filthy rich--much more fun to watch their downfall with glee--especially when much of their money was made illegally. But Adam and Cynthia are really not BAD people, just bored, impatient and looking for purpose. The novel begins at their wedding. Adam is the charming golden boy whom everybody loves, Cynthia a bit more cynical and critical. The novel follows their marriage through 2 children and 25 years--more of a study of their characters and their sustained love than a plot-driven narrative. Their isolation and estrangement from their families becomes strikingly apparent when Cynthia meets her father's girlfriend at his deathbed. Their two children suffer the consequences of their privileged upbringing; I loved their son Jonas, whose search for autheniticity almost costs him his life.This is an early readers review--the novel goes on sale in January 2010. I will definitely recommend it to my library to purchase.

[undermyappletree · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

In his new novel Jonathan Dee introduces us to a young, beautiful couple, Cynthia and Adam Morey, who are quickly moving up in society and into the world of the newly wealthy and ultimately the very wealthy. The story begins with their traditional big wedding; soon after they have two children, April and Jonas. Most of the story takes place in New York where Adam begins his career in the financial world and goes on to span several decades of their life.While I found these characters interesting and at times compelling, it was difficult to like them or care about them. Adam seemed obsessed with making more and more money. This drove him to make some shady financial dealings which could cost him everything. At what point does one have enough money? Why take these kind of risks? The children took their wealth for granted and didn't seem to have much concept of where the money came from or what things cost. They were interesting in the same way a train wreck draws curiosity. In spite of all their wealth and privilege they are very naive and find themselves in dangerous situations.The book is written four sections with each one jumping forward five to tens years. At times it became a little difficult to follow because the jumps in time required some reorientation and left it to the reader to fill in what happened during those skipped over years. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt. I found myself wanting more, wanting to know what happens next. But we are left to assume.

[dmcco01 · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

I found "The Privileges" a novel without much of a story. I'm sad to say that when I got to the end I said to myself, "So what?". And that apathy makes it really hard for me to write a meaningful review for this book.I found the characters of each of the four family members interesting. Perhaps that's what made the story seem watered down and incomplete. I could've read an entire novel that elucidated on each of their stories; but splitting the story between them made the whole seem fragmented and incomplete. I wanted more!

[garyseverance-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

In Jonathan Dee’s new novel, the characters learn that freedom is not another word for nothing less to lose. It is a symbol of nothing left to gain. Readers have a close-up view of a way they will never be, living in privilege beyond the pale. We are fascinated outsiders who are able to crash the parties, activities, and minds of the possessors of significant wealth. Dee introduces families and friends at the wedding of Adam and Cynthia celebrated in the hinterlands of Pittsburgh. Personality revealing vignettes are presented simultaneously, one character thinking about the no-barriers future while another trades stories of a gilded history with a lifelong friend at a blue collar bar.Although we have observed second hand and with great fascination the privileged class, Dee’s skillful narrative puts readers right in the room with them. We are so close that I was embarrassed by the clothing I was wearing while reading the novel. Like Proust’s description of nobility in The Guermantes Way, we can understand the characters’ motivations, thoughts, and actions but can only imagine the other-worldly dimensions of their consciousness.Even when Dee allows us to live later with Adam and Cynthia and their two children, April and Jonas, we think we know them while having only limited insight into their character. Each of the four family members’ personalities unfold within very wide boundaries compared to the cramped structures of our own lives. The dimensions of the world of significant wealth are so far-flung that the characters try to observe the values of others less fortunate to find some irreducible starting point. Of course, in the novel there is no such absolute zero, no standard to anchor a unifying philosophy. On the other end of the spectrum, there is no class above them. The best the family members can do is rely on solipsism and develop rules of conduct and understanding that are unique to each person but with intersecting areas that keep the family together with a very close bond.The mind views of Adam, Cynthia, April, and Jonas encompass the realm of infinite personal wealth. The assumption of nothing left to gain makes past mistakes, indiscretions, and illegal money building strategies irrelevant to their present noble life. So, the family members keep running (literally for Adam) with the exercise privately timed and juggled to situations leaving readers in the dust. When local and world history change, these privileged characters naturally repurpose information, and moral relativism becomes too restrictive, too passé. The four main characters are forever time-urgent and predictably other-serving rather than self-serving. Adam, for example, has a rather heroic personal code of conduct as strict and meaningful as Hemingway’s Robert Jordon in For Whom the Bell Tolls, but it is determined by the life of the mind rather than the life of action.This is a top notch novel that involves a great story, detailed character development, and a liberating unifying philosophy. We readers can see that we have the privileges in spades, in our own minds. I highly recommend this novel for readers to enjoy and gain an intimate perspective on the contemporary families who are beyond the social register, beyond condescension, like Proust’s Guermantes.

[tanisha364 · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

The complete disconnect from the couples family after getting married was intriguing. I did like the thought of Adam and Cynthia only having themselves to rely upon. I thought their relationship was real and honest and enjoyed reading their conversations the most. But mostly, I felt frustration with the book. The entire book felt rushed. I felt like I was reading a sequel and that I should have known the characters already and their family issues. I needed more explanations and background information to really enjoy this book. I usually read a book from start to finish in one sitting because I have a hard time putting a good book down. I had no trouble putting this down. It took me a few weeks to get through this. I had to push myself and count down the pages to help motivate myself. I will say that I liked the author's descriptions and style of writing just fine. I eased effortlessly into conversations and enjoyed the choice of vocabulary. I enjoyed his writing style, but not the story line. I'm hoping Jonathan Dee will get inspired to write a novel that he's truly passionate about because I think I would adore it! Overall, I'd say Jonathan Dee is a good writer, but not a good story teller.

[amyshaff · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

I never warmed up to these self absorbed characters. I kept expecting some kind of downfall or some growth from their superficial life as they aged but it never happened. I found i never cared what eventually happened to them and was actually hoping to see their fall from grace.

[artisu_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

The Priviledges: I have to admit I was fascinated with the story in this book, but expected it to end totally different. Here is a couple with every "priviledge" tons of money who live a very self absorbed life. Adam earns boatloads of money, much of it in questionable investment schemes. Cynthia lives a protected life feeling overwhelmed and bored with raising her two children, who are also offered every advantage. The characters are completelly one-sided and not very likable, even when they turn to charitable giving and foundations in their later years. I expected some resolution from them as to just how "priviledged" they were and some thought as to how they lived their whole lives unto themselves. Neither had much to do with their extended families who had their flaws but didn't deserve the neglect and contempt of their children who basically ignored them once they were established with the rich and powerful. They faced no real challenges, never went broke - I guess it was a story of our narcissistic times. I finished it, but wondered all along, just what was the point. I guess it was just a story of the "privileges'. Sad commentary on contemporary life.

[dyarington_1 · Calificación: 1 de 5 estrellas]

I would not call this book a novel. There is no plot, no story line, no character development, and it does not generate any interest. The book starts with a lengthy description of a wedding. Thereafter the principles, the man and wife, have two children, buy houses, increasingly become wealthy, partly through illegal means and grow older with their children. The book describes the lives of the four of them, one at a time--how boring. Supposedly a look inside the lives of the super rich, this book disappoints. My reaction was--who cares? Sorry, but I just did not react, or get interested. It was a chore to finish it.

[katharineclifton · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

For about 2/3 of the book I was in love with it. I was there with the characters. I felt what they felt - maybe because I understood some of the sentiments of the young mother with young children. The author has a beautiful voice. I connected not just with what he was saying, but how he said it. Even once the characters lives - especially their immense wealth and social bearing in NYC - moved beyond the scope of my personal experience. But something happened in the last half of the book. To me, it became a different book. I was enjoying floating along with this family, the way their aspirations and wealth had molded them, their children, without actually changing who they always were destined to be. But I was disappointed with the ending. I am left with a sour taste in my mouth. I actually like the way Cynthia's story ends, it seemed fitting. But I didn't understand Jonas' ending, maybe because it wasn't really an ending. And Adam and April became mere afterthoughts. I can't explain my ultimate dissatisfaction any more than I can explain my initial infatuation with the book. It is merely visceral. But again I will return to this. The author has a beautiful, accessible voice. I enjoyed it. I am on the fence about whether or not I would recommend this book. Despite not caring for the direction it took or the ending, I did adore the beginning. I would definitely read this author's other works.

[booksandscones · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

Why do the "limitless possibilities" offered to the hugely wealthy always end up with the same Rich People's Shopping List of the usual acquisitions: multiple homes, vacations, clothes & jewels, private school, private jet. We've all been hearing about all of this for years. What's new and different? Nice things, but it seems everyone has no imagination and all aspire to the same things. The lives of the real robber barons like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller were undoubtedly much more interesting than these fictional characters. Those guys knew how to live large.In any case, possibilities aren't limitless even for the super-rich. You can rent the New York Public Library for one night for your anniversary, but you can't buy the place. You can buy a flat in London, but you can't buy Buckingham Palace. You can't buy immortality. You can't buy health & safety for your kids if they're determined to kill themselves through their own wilfull stupidity. Adam & Cynthia's quest for enough wealth to obtain all they want without limits is bound to fail, unless they curtail their wants to the standard Rich People's Shopping List.This pair are boring through the first three sections in the book, and in the last section, Cynthia becomes not only unbelievable but somewhat creepy. How are we supposed to believe that this woman who walked away from her past & everyone in it on her wedding day is devastated at the impending death of her abandoning father? Is she devastated because he is the only one who ever walked away from her? The scene where she buys off her father's sixty-something girlfriend so she can have him all to herself as he dies gave me the crawls.Glad I only borrowed this one from the library; it wouldn't have been any "privilege" to have spent my own money on it.