The Financial Lives of the Poets (and the rest of us too)

Many of us have been affected in some way by the recent economic depression, and Matt Prior the hero of Jess Walter's The Financial Lives of the Poets is no exception. When we meet him, his life is nearly in ruins - the book was just published last year and is set in our current depression. The protagonist is only days away from losing his home, he has no job, his family is deeply in debt, and he suspects that his wife is being unfaithful. You'd think that things couldn't possibly get any worse.

Interestingly enough, the day before I began reading The Financial Lives of the Poets, I heard a story on NPR talking about California's financial woes, and suggestions by some that legalization of marijuana for recreational use could alleviate some of these problems. In this context, Matt Prior's decision to become a drug dealer to save himself from economic downfall seems less satirical than it may from a distance. This is something that I am especially fond of in this novel - the concerns of the main characters are immediate. (One can only hope that the economy will improve enough to make this book seem dated in just a couple years.)

Whenever I read a book/essay/article that is meant to be at least mildly satirical, my mind slowly drifts to Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal (which I love dearly). These two pieces aren't so very different. Neither author is actually promoting the solutions that are presented in their respective works, but both are presenting a challenge: Let's come up with a better or more realistic solution.

As Matt Prior exacerbates his situation, we root for him. After all, he wants the same things that many of us want; a comfortable home and security for his family. Hopefully those who read this novel will learn from Matt's mistakes - he reminds us that life isn't about things but about the people with whom you share them.