Read: Rules of Civility

In a world before Gossip Girl, the allure and secrecy of the Upper East Side of Manhattan was just as intoxicating. Rules of Civility is a novel written by Amor Towles that follows Katey Kontent the daughter of Russian immigrants as she climbs the hypothetical and very real steps of New York society.

Rules of Civility, begins new years 1937. Where Katey and her boardinghouse room-mate are lounging at a dive jazz bar stretching their $3 as far as possible, when  smouldering sexy, and sophisticate young banker, Tinker Grey, joins in on their new years celebration.

Infatuated with the lifestyle and the characters of New York Society; and life changing circumstances, Katey leaves her secretarial pool and begins her journey of navigating through the foux, fake, and real. Where her desire to believe the presentations, isolates her from the truth of the circumstances.

Rules of Civility, is a reflection of time and place. It is a collection of memories that in turn make a person. The poise secured by wealth, is nothing but a facade; and the dream of importance's is over shadowed by insecurities. Rules of Civility is titled after the rules George Washington described as decent behaviour.

Amor Towles; debut novel, is reads as easily as a dirty martini. Rules of Civility, transported me to a different place and time, so well described I could smell the fresh leather of the chauffeured Bentley. Towles writes with rich language that is embelished by his wit and wisdom. The cast of characters that Towles introduces are all lovable despite their flaws. After all, one can only climb with the help of others. It is the commitment to self truths that allows for grace and success to flow, regardless of the setting.




I highly recommend reading "Rules of Civility," A drama-rich read loaded with scandal.

READ: THE FAMILY FANG

If you think your family is crazy, psychotic, and narcissistic you might be right; however the chaos and seer nepotism of your family would fail miserably in comparison to the Fang Family. Headed by Caleb Fang, a revolutionary performance artist who purposely crafts chaos and danger in public settings. Caleb believes that is art is the only true form of art, because it surprises its audience captivating them in a new venue. The audience's inhibitions are lowered. The audience does know that what they are seeing is a superlative of art. Caleb is married, to Camille; a talented painter who forgo fine art in favor of Caleb.

Caleb's mentor; always said: "kids kill art." The Fangs found a way to work family and their kids into their artwork. The children conveniently named Annie, and Baxter, are not referred to by name but instead as A, and B. Caleb and Camille fang use their children as props in their artistic endeavours, and they hijack what ever sense or normality that Child A, and B have in a liberal attempt to progress the stage of art.

The Family Fang, by Kevin Wilson is a hilarious book that will have you laughing out loud and some what uncontrollably. The characters that Wilson has penned are beautifully psychotic and purpose driven. Caleb Fang truly has no concept of how effed up he is, nor how he has effed up lives of his family and friends.

One of my  personal favourite FANG performances, as archived in various museums, is the exhibit in which: Child A, is cast as Juliet in school production of Romeo & Juliet. On the night of the performance the boy cast to be Romeo injures himself in a car accident. Child B who was working as a stage hand was the only option as an understudy. B knew the lines.  In a game of cat and mouse, Romeo and Juliet style A forces B into an opened mouth kiss which shuts down the play, suspends A and B from school, and costs the drama teacher his job. All for the artistic integrity of Caleb Fang who had paid of the original Romeo.

The book reads at a quick pace, and plays in the imagination like the most perfectly disastrous sit-com you have ever seen. The Family Fang, was my vacation from the chaos of  normal family life. I loved this book, and the plot concept conceived by Kevin Wilson.