Title: Thump
Author: Avraham Azrieli
Publisher: Create Space
ISBN: 9781494281755
Pages: 278, Paperback/Kindle
Genre: Fiction
Book Review
Thump by, Avraham Azrieli is a well written, attention-grabbing courtroom room drama about sexual politics (namely in the workplace), sexual harassment, and the persistence of racism in subtle and overt ways. The story is engaging and the characters are realistic. That is to say that each character is developed, his and her beliefs being the result of prior life experiences. At times, it is honest and provocative in discussing the details of race and gender in office politics. The story seems straightforward but when the typical roles in a sexual harassment case are reversed or twisted, it gets interesting. Consider a typical story of sexual harassment, which might bear some resemblance to an episode of Mad Men.A young attractive executive woman decides one day to begin refusing sexual favors in return for company advancement. She’d engaged in these kinds of trading favors knowing that it was simply how the game was played. Once reaching a stable position, she’d always known she would put a stop to it. However, upon refusing, she is set up by those who took advantage of her, she was fired, and then struggles to reclaim her reputation and clear her name. This novel is similar to this common tale of sexual harassment except that the victim is not a young woman; it is a young black man. Throwing in racial tensions, especially among the typically condescending, elitist CEO’s of an investment company, and the tale becomes more complicated and in many ways, more interesting.
Thurgood Marshall Jefferson (“Thump”), a historically loaded name with a provocatively loaded nickname is the flawed hero of this tale, having used his charm and reputation of being generously endowed (hence “thump”) to climb the company ladder. When he gets engaged and tries to lead a more knightly life, his boss, a partner named Miss Kingman, takes revenge. She is the second “K” of the firm KKG, bearing obvious resemblance to KKK. However, while the names (Thurgood Marshall, Jefferson, Kingman, and KKG) suggest overt historical references, this novel is about the subtleties of a tradition of sexual harassment in the workplace and how race is entwined with it.
There are quite a number of similarities to the film Philadelphia. As much as with the film, the viewer and reader will be encouraged to consider the ways Jefferson has faced prejudice and the ways he’s been objectified, a struggle more commonly attributed to women. This novel ends up being more thought-provoking and insightful than the initial few pages set it out to be, but Azrieli hits his stride by the middle and builds to a climax that rivals other mainstream authors in this genre. This is the kind of book you cannot put down until you figure out the resolution. I cannot wait to read more work by Avraham Azrieli, a very promising author.
