A finely crafted web of stories spanning a decade and three continents, evocatively exploring the human realities behind global finance
In the landscape of contemporary fiction, which is so densely populated with autobiographical and otherwise personal elements, it is refreshing to come across a work that takes a large view and attempts to—dare we say it?—make the world make sense.
Merry-Go-Round Broke Down, co-authored by David Woo and Margalit Shinar, presents the human perspectives of world finance by telling nine interconnected stories, each one stirring and sharply focused.
In a small town in China, the esteemed mayor and factory manager hopes that an American buyout happens for the good of his community. In Cleveland, the effects of moving manufacturing abroad are felt, not least by the executives who profit. Dysfunctional families with generational wealth are seen to be ripe with conflict. A big-time stock trader has mistepped and finds himself in hot waters. In Tokyo, an everyday housewife decides to invest her life savings. A financier in Norway contemplates his life choices. In Brazil, activists protest the destruction of the rainforest.
Each short story, or, rather, profile, is connected to the previous one in an altogether subtle way. If it is not too trite to compare it to a piece of music, the structure resembles a theme and variations which, nonetheless, progresses in the end to a finale that is symphonic, meaning that all important elements are brought together in a meaningful way and, in some sense, resolved.
The book deals effectively if sparingly with justice in the world economy, meaning the problem of whether developing countries, like India, are entitled to—what we now recognize as—abusing the environment in order to share the benefits that Western countries have for so long enjoyed.
A major theme of these character studies is acceptance of identity and grappling with the past. The financiers in the book feel uneasy about the choices they have made, with Wall Street naturally winning over choosing to become a poet, for example. As a different kind of slave to money, members of ruthless billionaire families also struggle with finding and accepting themselves.
“If Arkady didn’t exactly know what he was, or what he wanted, he was quite sure of what he rejected.”
Sentence to sentence, the authors’ style is straightforward, even plain. Situations and emotions are not demonstrated through gesture or speech but are directly described and explained. Symbolism and the like also go unexploited. For these reasons, the style overall resembles a kind of journalism, albeit one laden with emotion, which actually fits the broad theme quite well. Rhetorical flair is employed with great economy, and makes for some beautiful instances of writing such as this:
“The gray light of dawn seeped through the empty room like a gentle mist. But for him, Liang Dacheng, the coming of daybreak was more like a warning clap of thunder.”
Realistically displaying the effects of the financial system on individuals, Merry-Go-Round Broke Down is a bleak affair. The depths of despair to which the broken-down economy drives everyday people is heartbreakingly represented in this work.
The post Merry-Go-Round Broke Down by David Woo and Margalit Shinar appeared first on Independent Book Review.