Human Capital

(Paperback)

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Description

It's the spring of 2001, and everyone is driving great cars, building beautiful houses, living the American Dream. But Drew Hagel has spent the last decade watching things slip away - his first marriage, his real estate brokerage, and his beloved daughter, Shannon, now a distant and mysterious high school senior. He is in danger of losing his place in the affluent suburbs when an unexpected friendship with Quint Manning opens Drew's eyes to vast wealth. What Drew doesn't know is that Manning has problems of his own - his midas touch is abandoning him, his restless wife, Carrie is growing disillusioned with all the money, and his hard-drinking son, Jamie, Shannon's classmate, is careering out of control. As the fortunes of three families collide, a terrible accident involving Jamie and Shannon gives Drew the leverage he needs to stay in the game. But what are the consequences of speculating with human lives rather than money In this astonishing, compelling novel, Stephen Amidon chronicles the American suburban dream with devastating accuracy.

Reviews

"Amidon nails it. . . . "Human Capital" is terrific."--"The Washington Post Book World"

"A splendid novel with the satiric bite of "Bonfire of the Vanities" . . . terribly well-realized."--"The Seattle Times"

"Amidon's novel is a wonderfully wicked satire on a twenty- first Century gilded age. . . . His book is more than just one family's story. It's a portrait of a whole society caught in the dead end that everyone insists will lead somewhere after all."--"Chicago Tribune"
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""A gripping, troubling, and incisive portrait of the way we live now . . . has the ambitious sweep and narrative power of a nineteenth-century novel."--Tom Perrotta, author of "Little Children"

"Amidon nails it. . . . "Human Capital is terrific."--"The Washington Post Book World "A splendid novel with the satiric bite of "Bonfire of the Vanities . . . terribly well-realized."--"The Seattle Times "Amidon's novel is a wonderfully wicked satire on a twenty- first Century gilded age. . . . His book is more than just one family's story. It's a portrait of a whole society caught in the dead end that everyone insists will lead somewhere after all."--"Chicago Tribune"
"A gripping, troubling, and incisive portrait of the way we live now . . . has the ambitious sweep and narrative power of a nineteenth-century novel."--Tom Perrotta, author of "Little Children

Author Bio

Stephen Amidon has written five books, including The New City. He worked in London for twelve years before returning to the United States, where he lives with his wife and children.