MOUNT PLEASANT

A darkly funny novel about a troubled marriage in our monetarily troubled times, in which money is its own outrageous character and the central scam is ripped from the headlines.

Debt has become the most significant relationship in Harry Salter's life. Born to wealthy parents, he grew up in a leafy and privileged world that was defined by its WASP elite. But nothing in life has turned out the way Harry was led to expect. Now, his place in society uncertain, Harry is faced with a crumbling marriage, a sullen son, and a dying father. As he sits at his father's bedside, Harry's thoughts inevitably turn to his inheritance. A couple of his father's millions would surely rescue him from his ballooning debt. It might even save his marriage and improve his relationship with his son. But when the will is read, all that's left for Harry is the paltry sum of $4200. Dale Salter's money is gone. Out of desperation and disbelief, Harry enlists the help of a forensic accountant. As they follow a trail strewn with family secrets and unsavoury suspicions, Harry discovers not only that Old Money has lost its grip and New Money taken on an ugly hue, but that his whole existence has been cast into shadow by the weight of his own great expectations. A portrait of our debt generation that will appeal to fans of Jonathan Franzen's Freedom, John Lanchester's Capital and Dave Eggers' A Hologram for the King, Mount Pleasant captures the financial delusions of the middle class with a delicious combination of wit, elegance and raw honesty. DON GILLMOR, an award winning author and journalist, lives in Toronto. The Globe and Mail has praised his "elegant prose and ability to wring universal truths out of everyday circumstances," and the Toronto Star has proclaimed him "a veteran craftsman whose unsentimental prose aches with poignancy . [Gillmor] excels at enigmatic characters who nonetheless engage a deep emotional level."