Talking About Political and Social Fiction

I guess I'll begin the blog with a few words on Barry Eisler, a popular author of  political thrillers. I've just completed a couple of Barry Eisler's novels, Inside Out and Fault Line. Inside Out is probably the better of the two.  In Fault Line, I found the plot somewhat engaging but had a difficult time understanding what motivates the protagonist John Rain.  Eisler attempts to explore the dimensions of his character, but rather clumsily. He wants to make Rain an admirable psychopath, but doesn't seem to know how to go about it (admittedly, a tough kind of character to develop sympathy for).  His style of writing does not seem to lend itself much to a deep exploration of character, so this in itself poses a problem for him. Neither is the character of Rain integrated well into any of his political commentary.  Of course, a character deficient of moral fiber is not the kind of character that would be bothered much by social injustice.


The same is true in his other novel Inside Out.   The social/political commentary is delivered awkwardly in didactic passages that appear to be more the author's voice than the character's.  At the heart of the novel is a mystery that concerns CIA torture and a U.S. government cover-up  at the highest level .  The novel shows how big business, government, the military, and the media form a kind of oligarchy that serves their interests.  As a work  of social criticism, the book targets the correct villains but fails as a work of art.  Ben Treven's relationship with his brother attempts to offer the reader insight into the character and keeps the reader somewhat engaged, but the revelations and insights are meager and not executed well.