um book club: rigged - part 3
January 24, 2008 by Cash
Next Assignment
Pages: 207-End
Due: Thursday January 31st
Part 3
pages 142 - 206
Characters
- David Russo - Protagonist, Harvard MBA, born / raised in Brooklyn, Italian-American
- Dominick “The Don” Gallo - Biggest trader on the floor, part of NYMEX since start, $300 million fortune
- Khaled Abdul - Nephew to Sheik Oman, part of royal UAE bloodline
- Nick Reston - President (youngest ever) of NYMEX. Mentor / guide to Russo
- Serena - David Russo’s south American girlfriend
- Stephen Seebeck - Signature Asset Management worker from London, heavily into Dubai nightlife scene
Finally, Rigged starts catching the readers’ full attention in this section.
David travels (via the uber opulence of a Dubai Minister of Finance sponsored trip) to the emerite and meets Khaled, a man with a dream of creating an oil exchange in Dubai. Later that night after a tour of the local nightclubs, he’s introduced to Stephen Seebeck, a young charismatic man who shows David Dubai’s ‘other side’. The expat lifestyle David is exposed to is truly stunning. $10,000/night hotel rooms expensed to international corporations, midnight drag races between Ferrari Murano’s and Lamborghini Diablos, and women. The most beautiful women from around the world, all gravitating to it’s new epicenter of uber wealth.
Initially skeptical of Khaled’s plan, David soon falls under the spell of possibility, for both redefining that corner of the world, and bringing massive amounts of money to the NYMEX back home.
Besides the wish fulfillment lifestyle (well, other than the Sharia law that controls much of Dubai, excluding such perks as alcohol and non-married opposite sex visitors to one’s hotel room) , I liked Mezrich’s honest look at post 9/11 tension between Arabs and Americans. He points out the stereotypes on both sides of the ocean, and David realizes he will have to deal with them.
David returns to the states and spends several months putting together a 200 page proposal to the board suggesting he explore seriously Khaled’s idea. Of course the Don tries to object to the very notion, but David tactfully keeps him under control. Eventually, Reston grants him carte blanche freedom to start putting a plan together.
Questions for discussion:
- Do you think The Don will try to sabotage the plan?
- What element of living in Dubai would be the best to you? Worst?
- What do you like most about Mezrich’s writing (obviously character development ain’t it, per comments on the last section)?
Obviously, comment away with any thoughts of your own as well.
I know someone with a Kitchen Aide Mixer… It’s real nice.
1. The don will definitely do something shady. This was foreshadowed by the phone call to the sheik’s bodyguards. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.
2. Tax Free baby! That’s what I want…
3. Hmm… Mezrich… I like reading his books and I like watching entourage. Sometimes I think he’s just flat out not trying though.
I found this passage awkward:
“Why am I here?” David asked, a bit flustered. “I don’t think the minister has any interest in talking to me.”
To his surprise, Khaled smiled.
“The minister didn’t invite you, Mr. Russo. I did.”
Now it was David’s turn to be surprised…
page 164
I agree to a certain extent, although I’d say doing non-fiction somewhat limits a writer’s ability to really get into the characters heads/dialogue.
With fiction, you can go hog wild with poetic license, restructuring phrases until you think they ‘fit’ the character speaking them. Unless you’re working from transcripts I’d imagine with a true story it’s tougher to come off sounding natural in every exchange.
Having said that though, I do feel the overall ‘vibe’ of the other three books of his I’ve read (also non fiction) have been better, and that includes dialogue.
I actually wasn’t criticizing the dialog there…
I reread that a few times, and was like, “wait, who was surprised the first time?”
Then I realized the cliched phrasing overtook any of the editing problems…