The Darlings
$16.00
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| Trade Discount | 5 + | 25% |
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Description
A Bonfire of the Vanities for our times, by an author who “knows her way around 21st-century wealth and power” (The Wall Street Journal).
Since he married Merrill Darling, daughter of billionaire financier Carter Darling, attorney Paul Ross has grown accustomed to all the luxuries of Park Avenue. But a tragic event is about to catapult the Darling family into the middle of a massive financial investigation and a red-hot scandal. Suddenly, Paul must decide where his loyalties really lie.
Debut novelist Cristina Alger is a former analyst at Goldman Sachs, an attorney, and the daughter of a Wall Street financier. Drawing on her unique insider’s perspective, Alger gives us an irresistible glimpse into the highest echelons of New York society—and a fast-paced thriller of epic proportions that powerfully echoes Claire Messud’s The Emperor’s Children and reads like a fictional Too Big to Fail.Praise for The Darlings
“Alger’s novel is a realist fiction that marks the revival of the finance novel today….Never before have stories seemed more important. It’s one of the virtues of Alger’s novel that it brings this point home to us—from finance, into fiction. And (hopefully) back.”—Los Angeles Review of Books
“Alger, who has worked at Goldman Sachs as well as at a white-shoe law firm, knows her way around 21st-century wealth and power, and she tells a suspenseful, twisty story.”—Wall Street Journal
“What happens to the Darling family in the course of a weekend is what carries this tale along, but it’s Alger’s description of quintessential New Yorkers, and how they survive, that adds the extra layer….Alger has what it takes, in the best sense of the phrase.”—USA Today
“Forget Gossip Girl: If you really want a peek into the scandalous lives of New York City’s elite upper class, Alger’s debut novel—set during the financial downturn of 2008—gets you pretty close….The Darlings moves so fast that it feels more like a thriller than a social drama.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Penned by a former banker, this is a dishy yet thoughtful portrait of greed gone too far…A page-turner.”—Good Housekeeping
“Two parts Too Big to Fail, one part The Devil Wears Prada, Alger’s debut is taut and compelling.”—Publishers Weekly
“Probably the most compulsively readable fiction to come out of the Wall Street financial scandal so far….Alger knows the ins and outs of both Wall Street and an upscale NYC lifestyle, nailing all the details…Delicious reading.”—Booklist
“A financial thriller with a tone that fits somewhere between the novels of Dominick Dunne…and Tom Wolfe’s The Bonfire of the Vanities.”—Library Journal
“Cristina Alger is so good, you just know she’s an inside trader—as intimately familiar with the inner workings of Wall Street investment banks as she is with haute Manhattan social life. She’s also a gifted storyteller. The Darlings is an utterly compelling novel, as knowing about family as it is about money and social status, and may be the best literary product of the financial crisis to date.”—Jay McInerney, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Life
“For those who have only gazed up at the palatial residences of Manhattan, this is a glimpse from the penthouse down.”—Tom Rachman, New York Times bestselling author of The Imperfectionists
“Cristina Alger’s debut novel offers a fresh and modern glimpse into New York’s high society. I was hooked from page one.”—Lauren Weisberger, New York Times bestselling author of Last Night at the Chateau Marmont
“A rare, glittering glimpse into Manhattan’s banks, bedrooms, and private clubs, a material and psychological world rendered with extraordinary detail. A smart, gripping tale…complex and mesmerizing.”—Sarah Houghteling, author of Pictures at an Exhibition
“Cristina Alger has written a racing, vivid, multi-vocal chronicle of the new gilded age, with equal shades of Jay McInerney and Bernie Madoff. Start reading it and in three hundred pages or so you’ll feel like a consummate New York insider, too.”—Charles Finch, author of A Burial at SeaCristina Alger is the author of Girls Like Us, The Banker’s Wife, The Darlings, and This Was Not the Plan. A graduate of Harvard College and NYU Law School, she worked as a financial analyst and a corporate attorney before becoming a writer. She lives in New York with her husband and children.
INTRODUCTION
On the chilly afternoon the day before Thanksgiving, passersby along Manhattan’s 71st Street and Lexington Avenue are too busy to look twice at the black Mercedes station wagon waiting at the stop light. The man in the driver’s seat, financier Carter Darling, is too preoccupied with news of his business partner’s suicide to notice them either. But Carter would be wise to look out his windows and enjoy not meeting angry stares; this is one of the last times he—or any of the illustrious Darlings of New York City—will move unnoticed through the streets of Manhattan..
Downtown, Carter’s son–in–law Paul Ross is also reeling from Morty Reis’s suicide. Even before Paul married Carter’s daughter, Merrill, he was struck by how fiercely loyal his new family was, especially during hard times. This loyalty was on full display when Carter brought Paul on board at Delphic, the esteemed firm that’s made the Darlings one of the elite families in the city. Paul is certain that the Darlings will, as always, band together in the wake of this tragedy. But Paul has yet to realize that Morty’s suicide isn’t the worst they’ll endure.
In the suicide’s aftermath, Paul learns that Morty’s hedge fund is a sham, a black hole where scores of millions of dollars—including funds from Delphic—have disappeared. The allegations of monumental fraud and conspiracy, if true, could bring the financial world to its knees. As Delphic’s general counsel, Paul is one of the principal targets of the investigation. How could Delphic’s management not know that 30 percent of its investments is fake? Do they not verify where their money goes? As the evidence mounts, it becomes clear that Carter Darling isn’t what he seems. His reputation as a trusted business leader and squeaky–clean family man is merely an illusion—one that Carter is desperate to protect.
To avoid taking the fall for Carter’s wrongdoing, Paul must fight to keep his life and marriage from being torn apart. But could Merrill forgive him for turning against her father? And what will become of the Darlings once Carter’s secrets are exposed? Cristina Alger’s debut novel The Darlings takes us behind the closed doors of posh Park Avenue townhouses and million–dollar offices. At its heart is a family staring down its own demise. But the Darlings have far more to fear from each other than from the scandal that threatens to destroy them.
ABOUT CRISTINA ALGER
Cristina Alger received her BA from Harvard College and a law degree from New York University School of Law. She has worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs and as an attorney at Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale, & Dorr. She was born in New York City, where she currently resides.
A CONVERSATION WITH CRISTINA ALGER
Q. In a 2011 interview, Ruth Madoff, husband of convicted Ponzi–scheme perpetrator Bernard Madoff, presented a bleak picture of her life, quite similar to what Ines fears will happen to her. She says that she and her husband even attempted suicide (The New York Times, October 26, 2011). What are your personal feelings about how she and her family were treated by the press and their former friends? Is there any way she could have come through as a sympathetic character? Could Ines?
I found the Madoffs to be remarkably unsympathetic, and for that reason, utterly fascinating. I think that a lot of viewers tuned into that interview in the hopes of glimpsing Ruth Madoff’s humanity. I know I did. It’s easy to write her – or her husband – off as villains, but it doesn’t get us any closer to understanding her. One of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of writingThe Darlings was trying to craft characters who evoke both sympathy and anger. I think in fiction, as in life, there are few true heroes and few true villains. Everyone has a bit of both in him.
Q. All of the characters have trouble striking a balance between their careers and their personal lives. Is it possible for people with high–level careers in investments or finance to maintain strong marriages and relationships?
I think it’s a real challenge. Maintaining a high–level career in finance require an enormous amount of time and focus, often at the expense of personal relationships. I see my friends struggle with it every day, particularly now that many of them are starting families. I do believe it’s possible, though; my parents did an incredible job of managing the demands of my father’s career while raising me. In retrospect, I think my father slept about four hours a night, and I imagine both he and my mother made innumerable untold sacrifices to make everything work. But somehow, my dad managed to eat dinner with me almost every night, and he never missed one of my lacrosse games. I always had the sense that as important as his career was to him, family came first.
Q. Manhattan is, more than simply a backdrop, almost a character in the story. What are the particular advantages and drawbacks to setting a novel there?
Manhattan is such a dynamic place; it’s got as much personality and inner life as any character. I’ve lived here my whole life. When writing about it, I felt as though I was writing about a family member: someone I love most of the time, occasionally despise, but in the end, someone to whom I am ferociously loyal. For the most part, that familiarity was an advantage. At times, though, I had to remind myself that Manhattan is many things to many people. It was a challenge to step back and try to see the city through the eyes of some of my characters.
Q. At several points in your novel, characters consider leaving New York—either to escape scandals or to live a more convenient, slower–paced life. Are there times you’ve considered leaving? If so, what’s prevented you from doing so? How has living in New York changed for you since the financial crisis began and since 9/11?
I have. For one thing, it’s a terribly expensive place to live. But the energy here is incredible; it’s infectious. I’ve never found anything quite like it anywhere else in the world. New Yorkers have such drive and intellectual curiosity, and also a certain mental toughness that I really respect. I thought the city showed remarkable resilience after 9/11, and it has again in the wake of the financial crisis. That’s what I love most about New York: it has the strength to pick itself up and dust itself off after the toughest blows.
Q. Merrill has a client named Elsa whose “suits were now designer . . . but they were just as short, and just as loud as they had been when she had first started at Vonn. . . . the guys on the team were too quick to judge her based on her appearance. This really got under Merrill’s skin.” (p. 108) What are the challenges that face women in the financial industry? Did you have any problems being taken seriously by your male coworkers?
I’ve been really fortunate when it comes to co–workers. But sure, there were times working in such a male–dominated environment was a challenge for me. For the first few years, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what to wear. I think women are very conscious of being judged on the basis of their appearance, and especially at the beginning of my career, I lived in perpetual fear of not being taken seriously by the guys in my office. Unfortunately for me, that fear led to many years of unflattering pantsuits and sensible heels. It was only when I started proving myself that I branched out into skirts and the occasional stiletto.
Q. With which of your characters do you most identify and why? Were any of the characters more difficult to craft than others?
I probably identify most with Merrill, though I see glimmers of myself in many of the characters. Her struggle to create her own identity while still being a loyal and devoted family member is, to me, very relatable and real. Honestly, I feel as though the characters crafted themselves. Once I had a basic framework for the family, I sat down and started writing, and the characters just blossomed as I went. It was a really fun process.
Q. How have your colleagues and friends in finance reacted to your book? Are there any professional lessons they should take away from reading it?
The book isn’t out yet, so most of my friends and former colleagues haven’t had a chance to read it. I hope when they do they are able to identify with it, to say, “Yes! This feels real to me.” I tried to capture New York at a specific moment in time in a way that would feel authentic to those who had experienced it firsthand. I don’t know if there’s necessarily a professional lesson to be learned, but I did want to end the book on a positive note. I came out of the financial crisis with the hope that a new moral order would emerge from the wreckage. I think that remains to be seen, but The Darlings leaves the door open for change.
Q. What are some authors and books that have influenced your writing?
Tom Wolfe’s The Bonfire of the Vanities is to me, the quintessential New York book. It’s pitch–perfect in its portrayal of New York, and the financial community in particular. I read it more than once while I was writing The Darlings. I found similar inspiration in Jay McInerney’s Bright Lights, Big City and Claire Messud’s The Emperor’s Children. I also found myself reading a lot of financial nonfiction while writing The Darlings. Andrew Ross Sorkin’s Too Big to Fail and James B. Stewart’sNew Yorker essay “Eight Days” come to mind as exceptionally well researched and well written works that influenced my writing. Both were useful as background, but more important, they highlighted how exciting and dramatic the world of finance can be. Financial crime can be either terribly dry or spellbinding subject matter; it’s up to the author to capture the reader’s interest and not let go until the last page.
Q. What do you consider to be the central theme of your book?
To me, The Darlings is really about family and identity. I think figuring out who you are and what you believe in, especially in relation to your family, is one of the primary challenges of adulthood.
Q. The Darlings is your first novel. What were some challenges you faced, either expected or unexpected, while writing it? What led you to writing a novel? Are you writing anything now?
I think the biggest challenge for me has been opening myself up to the concept of public scrutiny. I’ve got a terribly thin skin, and any member of my family can tell you that I take any sort of criticism to heart. So it’s been a big leap for me to put myself out there. I’m still adjusting to it and to be honest, I probably won’t ever feel fully comfortable with having my work available for all to judge. But I absolutely love what I do and it’s a very small price to pay for the privilege of getting to write all day long. I am working on a second novel now. I feel a bit like Sisyphus starting all over again at the bottom of the hill, but I’m starting to fall in love with my new characters the way I did with the Darlings.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
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| Dimensions | 0.7800 × 5.5100 × 8.4500 in |
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