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mrswd
Posted February 7, 2012
I wasn't sure at first what to expect from this zany inside view of New York's creme de la creme but the author captured my attention on page one and never let go. Clifford Day Vanderwall reminds me of so many people. He is a good person but a kind of poor soul who is vulnerable to less-principled individuals like Shirley Horner, a predatory woman who takes him for all he is worth, financially and spiritually. But what really impressed me about this story is the witty way in which Brodow presents his characters. Not since Bonfire of the Vanities have I read a black comedy that works as well as this one does. The zingers, one-liners, and absurd situations that Brodow concocts are worthy of a contemporary Oscar Wilde. The characters are fleshed out beautifully, even the lesser ones. I felt like I knew these people intimately. Brodow kept me guessing where we were going up until the last five pages but the ending was so hysterical that I felt amply rewarded for all the suspense I had endured. "The Man Who..." had me laughing out loud over and over again. This is an incredible read.
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Overview
Hilarious satire about a born victim and the predator who loves him.Clifford Day Vanderwall, a Wasp who attended Princeton and The Wharton School, has a trust fund, a nifty job at IBM, and a spacious apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. What’s wrong with this picture? Clifford cannot make decisions. He would rather procrastinate hoping the decision will go away by itself. He becomes the helpless victim of Shirley Horner, a predatory fortune hunter who traps him in a web of deceit and gradually assumes control over every aspect of Clifford’s life. She eventually destroys his career, his love life, and his self-esteem. Lacking the ability to make up his mind, Clifford appears to be ...