The Privileges - Book Review

In The Privileges : A Novel by Jonathan Dee, Cynthia and Adam get married young but none of their friends are concerned because clearly they are meant for each other and everyone knows that together they will do great things. The story of the Moreys is divided into four sections. The first section is their wedding. The second deals with their lives as young parents. Their children are teenagers in the third section and then have moved out on their own in the fourth.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Privileges. The writing is flawless. Dee recognizes and exposes human nature perfectly as he recounts the upward movement of this privileged family. The children are very much a part of the "entitlement era" and react differently to the fact that because of the immense wealth created by their parents they can have anything their hearts desire. Meanwhile Cynthia and Adam, deeply in love with each other, live by their own set of values and morals.

The book is a social commentary without Dee giving anything away but the details of the members of the family's lives. I especially felt like he honestly captured the mother's horror, grief and psychosis after her children are separated from her on a subway. I think every mother understands the fear she must have felt.

Dee is witty, ironic and occasionally sympathetic but always honest. Other than the over-use of crude language, I really enjoyed this book. It definitely left me pondering.


I won a copy of The Privileges from Goodreads.com. The opinions in this review are my own and I received no compensation.