First published 1994
Matt Bonney sits at the center of a family storm brewing in the South. As a leading political consultant, he faces an impossible choice when his brother launches a campaign for the U.S. Senate. Matt decides to work for the opposing candidate instead. This decision tears through his family like wildfire. The Senate race becomes a battlefield where blood ties clash with professional loyalties. Brothers who once shared childhood secrets now fight through surrogates and media attacks. The campaign grows more absurd with each passing day, as political theater overtakes genuine issues. Matt watches his family fracture while the contest he helped create spirals toward its conclusion. The price of political ambition becomes clear as relationships strain under the weight of competing allegiances.
Genres: american-fiction, contemporary, political-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, family-drama
Setting: South, United States
Period: 21st-century
276 pages · Hardcover · Atlantic Monthly Pr