Lapham Rising
Review by Harper Hall
Lapham Rising
by Roger Rosenblatt
Harpercollins
$23.95
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Lapham Rising is the first novel by columnist and commentator Roger Rosenblatt. I caught the tail end of his appearance on the The Daily Show last week, only catching a glimpse of the cover as it flashed on the screen before a commercial. Seeing nothing but the West Highland Terrier on the cover and missing the entire interview, I mistakenly thought it was a book about dogs… never judge a book by its cover. Lapham Rising is a satire of American consumerist culture, middle-of-the road politics, and the emergence of the evangelical culture into the mainstream. Rosenblatt accomplishes all this in a short but humorous story about a man and his mission.
Harry Marsh, a formerly successful writer, lives on a sand bar in the Hamptons with his West Highland Terrier, Hector. Harry’s children have grown up and moved away and his wife has left him for an event planner named Joe. Harry’s sole companion is Hector, who has recently become a born again evangelical. Harry’s days consist mostly of conversations with Hector, re-runs of “Murder, She Wrote,” and evading any social contact with the outside world. That is until Harry’s neighbor, Lapham, breaks ground on his mega-mansion across the creek. Instead of waking to the peaceful sound of seclusion every morning, Harry is startled out of bed by construction sounds and the musical stylings of Ricky Martin, among others. From this point on, Lapham becomes Harry’s obsession. Lapham epitomizes everything Harry views as despicable about American culture, which is hitting too close to home for Harry. In his one-sided retaliation, Harry sends messages to Lapham every day by way of a remote-controlled boat, instructing him to tear down his house, but he doesn’t stop there. Harry’s obsession drives him to plan an attack on the House of Lapham. The book takes place over the span of the day that Harry plans to carry out his attack. The story unfolds in a hilarious fashion as Harry prepares to carry out his plans. Rosenblatt paints an amusing portrait of the Hamptons and its residents, which I couldn’t help but relate to after living in Sun Valley.
Roger Rosenblatt has written a book full of amusing characters and situations that will have you laughing to yourself at the outrageousness and at the same time feeling disappointed at the realities he presents.
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