Patriots, by David Frum

The best thing about David Frum's new novel, Patriots, is that Frum is such a Washington insider, you know that every story, description, and character in the book is derived from Frum's first-hand experiences in our nation's capital.  The names of the political parties, cable news outlets, think tanks, restaurants and clubs, and, of course, the people have all been changed, but I have a feeling many will recognize themselves and the places they love to go.

The story revolves around Walter Schotzke, who takes a job in a senator's office to appease his controlling mother.  Schotzke is an aimless heir to a sizable fortune (Schotzke's mustard).  Walter's name (and the money behind it, of course) and his father's fame opens a lot of doors for him as he learns the ropes in D.C.  He joins the senator's staff just before a new president's inauguration.  A liberal African-American president has just been defeated after one term (Frum, I hope you are a prophet!).  Schotzke is called on by party leadership to get his senator in line with the party, since the new president is too much of a moderate for their taste.

The story is Walter's crash course in how Washington really works, which, ostensibly, is Frum's message here.  It's a cynical view, but highly entertaining.  The colorful characters and caricatures carry the story, but the story itself didn't do a lot for me.  To me, a good political satire will target people, events, and ideas.  Frum does great with the people, ideas and events not as much.




Thanks to NetGalley.com and the publisher for the free electronic copy of this book.