(Reviewed by JD Jung)
“Democracy doesn’t just happen, it takes dedicated citizens continuously fighting to preserve it. Elected officials will get away with as much as they can and if no one picks on them for a long time, they slip into an arrogance that breeds a careless contempt.”
Though this novel takes place in the 1970’s, has anything really changed?
Albert Caso, an old party chairman and political boss wants to hand-pick the new mayor. He decides on 27 year old Collier Winthrop, born into a privileged family, but a young man with no political aspirations or experience. The current mayor, Edward Ogden, has become complacent and not responsive to Caso or any of the citizens, for that matter.
Winthrop does win the election, but Ogden isn’t going to just lie down and accept defeat. He devises a plan to malign the new mayor and his friends, using the police and old political friends. Will he succeed?
As I was reading Power Play, I asked more basic questions: What is Caso’s specific agenda and will he be able to control Winthrop? Will Winthrop actually serve the people or will it be politics as usual?
Power Play is an engaging and enjoyable novel. There’s enough going on, but nothing elaborate. Since it is set in the 1970’s author F. Ethan Repp uses historical and cultural references of the time, such as Nixon, hippies, communes and homophobia. I’m just afraid that some naive readers and will look at this as specific to that time in history and not apply it to today.
There was one question that I didn’t have to ask. Even without instant media and communication, like the internet, has anything really changed? You know what I think.
