Review: Simply Brilliant!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 25, 2014
In "RomperSuit", we are invited to share the hectic journey through corporate banker, Charlie Campbell’s life. Author Allen Jarvis shows us that Wall Street has nothing on the ruthlessness, greed, politics, and heartless savagery of corporate London. As Charlie makes a valiant effort to balance the corporate investment banking life with a simpler suburban life, he finds the two continually clashing to create a dichotomy in which each aspect of the character battles for supremacy. This convention is brilliantly highlighted by Jarvis as he occasionally ferries between first and second person narrative. This is a rare and risky technique, but Jarvis handles it with a deft pen that is reminiscent of the second person narrative in Jay McInerney’s "Bright Lights, Big City".Charlie is a character with few redeeming qualities, but the skillful and deep character inventory that Jarvis lays out makes it difficult not to have, at least, an iota of sympathy for him. He is unable to escape the lure of the City and, given the nature of the world of investment banking, it is hardly surprising when the City brutally exposes the fault lines in his flawed character. Greed, fear, ruthlessness, misplaced loyalty, and impatience are mixed into a volatile cocktail that threatens to explode at any given moment.Jarvis is keenly aware that people with rampant egos who behave badly make for great fiction and wonderful villains. Their behavior may not be appealing, but it is certainly never dull. He also proves that financial fiction does not have to be dull. Not only does Jarvis prove himself to be a master storyteller, but it surprising how much is actually revealed about how the City works (or doesn't work). But no matter how we may feel about it, the City matters, and when things go wrong in the Square Mile, we all get to pick up the tab.I am delighted to have discovered a new author who knows how to tell a good story with skill and aplomb. If you enjoy intelligent fiction that is also fast-paced and well-written, this novel is certain to acquire your interest.