First published 1989
Gilbert Twining rules The Outsider with an iron fist. The influential opinion journal may have a small and shrinking readership, but Twining's editorial dominance keeps his staff in line. When sudden illness forces him into retirement, the magazine's shabby offices become a battlefield. His editors emerge from the shadows, each plotting to claim the top position. The struggle turns savage precisely because the prize seems so modest. One by one, the contenders execute their schemes and enjoy brief moments of triumph. Then Twining makes an unexpected return. His reappearance transforms the already bitter succession war into something far more complex. The editors must now navigate not only their rivalry with each other, but also the return of the man whose absence started their conflict.
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, power-dynamics
Setting: The Outsider
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
339 pages · Paperback · Elephant Paperbacks (Ivan R. Dee, Inc.)