Ernest McCloskey is, at least in the earliest pages of Andre Durivage’s ERNEST, a man with a dream simply trying to do his best. But as the novel continues across generations and continents, this aspiring businessman slowly morphs into a monster, bringing down his family and the families of others along with him.
The novel starts in the 1970s, tracing Ernest’s early years: his hard work and investments, his marriage to the beautiful Jeanette, and the opportunities his growing company offers Vietnamese immigrants like a certain Quan Nguyen. But a tragic act of sabotage leads to Jeanette’s death, leaving Ernest broken and rudderless. His need to avenge her death and the damage to his business results in a further string of deaths—which, in turn, leads Ernest to be contacted by a certain club. This group of 12 wealthy elites plays games with people’s lives, interfering with them and betting on how long it will take each target to end their own lives.
In the midst of Ernest’s scheming, his daughter falls for up-and-coming employee Alexandre, shattering Ernest’s hopes of a well-connected heir. Fortunately, Ernest has a few friends who can help him guide Alexandre’s life in the “right” direction.
Written by Andre Durivage, ERNEST is a very exposition-heavy book, which is excellent in some portions but bogs down the pace in others. The unflinching descriptions of the Vietnamese immigrants’ battle to make their way to Canada benefit from this detail; scenes where a major player may or may not be dead, with the metaphorical “camera” spending paragraphs focusing on the decor around him, do not. There appear to be some issues in translation, too, albeit nothing so major that it impedes understanding for an English-speaking reader. (For example, a character named Oliver who favors the color green is usually “Oligreen,” but occasionally “Olivert”—presumably the original French.) There is also a scene mid-book where an alternate version of a conversation between Ernest and his daughter was not trimmed out, leading to a scene playing out briefly twice.
These small issues aside, ERNEST is a truly interesting novel. Depicting the slow corruption of a character is never easy, but the time spent spinning out his character in anticipation of what’s to come in book 2 was the right choice. The players fall slowly into place—an adopted child here, a runaway there—waiting to take the stage. But it’s Ernest who shines, although “shines” might be the wrong word. He is a monster created by his surroundings, his one saving grace taken from him, and seeing him fall fully into the darkness is both unnerving and fascinating.
Andre Durivage’s ERNEST quickly evolves into a tale of revenge, generational trauma, and the excesses of wealth. It marks an impressive beginning for what will hopefully be an increasingly exciting series.
~Kara Dennison for IndieReader