BOOK REVIEWS Courtesy of Beaverdale Books
‘The Financial Lives of the Poets’
By Jess Walter
Harpercollins
Pub Date: 10/1/2009
$25.99
290 pp
Matt Prior quit his job as a business journalist to start a Web site combining his two passions — investment advice and poetry. Unfortunately, poetfolio.com never quite took off and he was forced to return to his old job, only to be laid off four months later due to his lack (and loss) of seniority. He has a balloon payment due on his mortgage, two kids in private school and a wife who spends her evenings reconnecting with her high school sweetheart on Facebook.
When a late-night run to a convenience store for milk gets him involved with some questionable characters and illegal activities, Prior thinks he has found the solution to his woes. He plans to start selling drugs to his cohorts who miss their 1970’s college years, and as it turns out the market is good. He’ll quit once he digs his way out of debt.
A series of twists and turns keep this fast-paced book from becoming a “Weeds” or “Breaking Bad,” and Walter’s humorous prose is both poignant and biting. The contemporary issues of the economy, the newspaper business and social media make this a story that the most law-abiding readers can relate to.
Ultimately, this is a story about choices, as Prior reflects on all the bad choices he has made in his life while trying to teach his young sons to make good ones. As a bonus, readers are treated to Prior’s good (and bad) poetry. CV — Review by Alice Meyer
