The Vixen is one of the most acclaimed books of the year, with a literary heartbeat. It is a novel within a book. It starts with Simon rejecting graduate school, as a Harvard degree is merely bragging rights for his parents. Instead, he rides the Cyclone on Coney Island, a 12-mile walk from his house. He doesn’t know if he’s going to get wet or crash, but the experience makes him want to go back and ride the dreaded roller coaster again. He doesn’t like it because he doesn’t like dreck. Then he goes back and rides it with his eyes closed, and he doesn’t even notice. It’s the perfect combination of humor and awe.
Anya Partridge is a young, Jewish man, a recent Harvard graduate and a low-ranking editorial assistant at the Boston Globe. He’s a cultural “fish out of water”–his inherited Brahmin surname is a racist joke from a Boston immigration official. His first big assignment is to edit a trashy novel, a novel that’s a world away from the usual literary fare Landry and Bartlett.
As the author of the novel, Anya is an alluring, sexy woman, with a look that recalls a Berlin cabaret or Hong Kong brothel. She lives in a bizarre asylum and decorates her room with posters of opium. She ignores the editorial suggestions of her publisher, and is wildly interested in fawning over a quick and exciting climax. As such, she’s a culture shocker, and Viceens is an excellent choice for fans of the genre.
The premise of Viceens is a novel about a Jewish man. The main character is Simon Putnam, a recent Harvard graduate. He works as an editorial assistant and is a cultural fish out of water. The story opens with Simon’s anti-Semitic joke. However, when Simon gets his first major assignment, he is assigned to edit a novel that is distinctly trashy. It is a very different book from Landry and Bartlett’s usual literary fare.
The novel is based on Simon Putnam’s experiences as a journalist. The author’s surname, “Putnam,” is an inherited Brahmin name that is the result of a Boston immigration official’s anti-Semitic joke. As the plot unfolds, Simon’s first significant assignment is to edit a trashy novel. The book is a far cry from the usual literary fare of the two authors.
The author of Viceens is a naughty, sexually minded character. His name is pronounced Pung-nam, which translates into “Puttnam.” He has a Brahmin father and a Russian mother. Her mother has an English surname, but Simon is also Jewish. This character has no other real family. He is a man who is interested in sex.
