Undertow (novel)

Infobox Book |
name = Undertow
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Warren Adler
country = United States
language = English
genre = Mystery novel
publisher = Stonehouse
pub_date = April 2001
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback) and E-Text
pages = 280 pp
isbn = ISBN 1-931304-48-3 (Paperback)

"Undertow" (2001) is a mystery novel by Warren Adler

Plot summary

California senator Donald James had planned on a fun weekend away at the beach. His was accompanied by his secretary Christine, his friend and advisor Lou Castle and Marlena Jackson, another employee and his current lover. What he did not count on was Marlena getting caught up in the ocean’s undertow and carried away to sea. Donald and Lou nearly die in a futile attempt to rescue her. When it is clear she is gone, they have to decide how to handle the situation. Donald plans on becoming the Democratic candidate for the upcoming presidential election. Marlena’s death, along with the knowledge of their affair would certainly destroy any political career he has left. Surrounding himself with his best and brightest, Donald goes about plotting to protect his career from the media onslaught that is sure to follow the announcement of the Marlena’s demise. He even needs his wife Karen to stand by his side and present the assurance of absolute fidelity. She resents him for it, but as a true politician’s wife, she takes on her role accordingly.

Reporter Ernie Rowell of the Washington Chronicle is assigned to the story by Chuck Chalmers, his editor and friend of the senator. Rowell is advised not to jump to conclusions, just report the truth. But as his investigation develops, the word truth takes on multiple definitions.

Marlena drowned. That is the truth. There was no foul play. But her presence at the weekend getaway is questionable, so is the eleven hour gap from the time of death to when the senator reported the drowning. No one other than Rowell is making issue of those eleven hours and their implications. Of course adultery is in the back of everyone’s minds, but no real issue of it is made.

The story is told predominantly from Lou Castle’s point of view as he aids Donald over the course of the novel. He does not judge his friend. He is simply there to made excuses and spin the truth in such a way that Donald’s career is not in jeopardy.

Rowell wants to tell the whole story. He does not wish for the world to be indifferent to the senator’s after-work activities. He does not blame Donald for Marlena’s death, but he feels that his decision to carry on an affair reflects an inability to be a honest authority. The lesson to be learned is that Donald James isn’t fit to be the next president. But people like Rowell’s editor, Chuck Chalmers, think otherwise. Chalmers does not feel the senator has made all the right decisions, but that does not mean he cannot be president. To Chalmers, Senator Donald James is the lesser of two evils. It would be better to have him in office than the current Republican president returning for a second term. That isn’t enough for Rowell to condone James’s actions.

Major themes

Undertow serves as a rather insightful commentary on the world of politics, not just thirty years ago, but today as well. Almost all the characters have flaws that ring true, their actions are not of honor, but of necessity. A certain sadness pervades the entire text. Adler has shown a world where hope may not have room to exist. Through Rowell, the reader sees that. Even if the public chooses to condemn Donald James, there will still be someone else with just as many faults stepping up to take his place. Rowell is helpless, he is not even able to tell his story, a truthful story, as his editor seeks to protect the senator from the brunt of the backlash. Despite being a noble character, you cannot root for Rowell. He is not allowed to be the hero of the story. In the end, the only character one can feel anything about is Marlena. With her death, she is allowed to escape a world of compromises and false truths. She is free from a world without hope.

Trivia

Originally published in 1974 under the title “Options.”

External links

* [http://www.warrenadler.com/title-undertow.shtml Official Website]
* [http://www.warrenadler.com/title-undertow-sample.shtml Read the first chapter]