Shipwreck (Paperback)

In case the title of the book is not a strong enough hint that there will be no happy ending to the story, Begley quickly sets a tone of personal destruction and moral failure. His main character, John North, opens the book by approaching a stranger in a bar, and offering to buy him a drink if he will sit and listen to a story that North has never told anyone before. The story is a long one, told over several days and several bottles of whiskey. And the silent listener, whose name we never learn, whose voice we never hear, and whose judgment we never receive, is described as being nearly identical to North in every detail - a physical manifestation, perhaps, of North's troubled conscience.

And yes, his conscience has ample reason to be troubled. The tale he tells is one of deception, weakness, and tragedy. North, a prize-winning novelist, recounts to his companion the details of his affair with Lea, a young French journalist who interviews him for an article about his latest book. North succumbs to his desire for Lea, despite his love for his wife Lydia and his fear of the pain she would suffer if she were to discover his infidelity.

Begley proves in this novel that he is both a gifted storyteller and a master of painting with words the entire spectrum of human emotions. His first-person narration is infused with an overwhelming feeling of honesty, ruthless self-reflection, and guilt. Begley writes about love as well as he does about fear, about lust as well as he does about anger. As a character, North is one of the most genuine I have found in literature. He hides nothing from us, makes no excuses for his weakness, and delivers his self-condemning story with unflinching honesty.

John North, Begley's protagonist in SHIPWRECK, seems to have it all. He has just been awarded one of literature's top prizes and he has an adoring wife. For the most part, North is living the American dream --- that is until one day in Paris when he begins to question the value of his work while waiting for a writer from Vogue magazine.

Lea, the young journalist, is immediately starstruck with North's presence and decides he must become another addition to her long list of conquests. Meanwhile North, who is old enough to be Lea's father, is completely smitten with the leggy French vixen and sparks begin to fly.

While it appears that North narrates SHIPWRECK while downing shot after shot of whiskey inside a mysterious Parisian café with another person, it doesn't take too long for the reader to realize that North is actually alone. Ultimately Begley, author of the highly acclaimed novel ABOUT SCHMIDT, allows the reader to decide whether or not North is talking to himself --- and that's the brilliance of this mesmerizing story.

Begley does a wonderful job portraying North's wife Lydia as the ultimate victim of his extramarital activities. North cheats on his wife throughout the novel with Lea, but he doesn't deny for a second that his adulterous behavior is wrong. Even while North enjoys the numerous trysts with Lea, he never stops thinking about his wife and realizes from the onset of the affair that he's headed for troubled waters.

Not only is North grappling with the realization that he's in over his head with the affair, he is also constantly questioning the value of his literary career. In some respects, SHIPWRECK is about more than just an acclaimed author dealing with an obsessed sexpot.

Begley delves into the issue of adultery --- how the French view it as compared to American social values. North also is dealing with a bout of alcoholism throughout the book, although his overindulgence with the bottle is again presented as an afterthought in an effort not to stray the reader from the true essence of the novel. But here again, Begley's brilliance as a writer is apparent as he illustrates to the reader that North uses alcohol frequently as medication.

In addition to the social ramifications, SHIPWRECK is also steamy and suspenseful. You can picture SHIPWRECK as a film, equipped with a star-studded cast similar to About Schmidt.

--- Reviewed by David Exum