Items related to The Contractor
George Young is a devoted family man and a Gulf War veteran. After a hometown business venture flops, George accepts work overseas as a contracted civilian interrogator for the U.S. government at Omega, a secret holding facility for suspected terrorists.
The work pays well, but his personal life is crumbling. His wife, with whom he is forbidden to talk about his work, is becoming more and more enamored of gin and tonic. Worse, during a "routine" interrogation, a detainee dies in George's hands. Frightened and confused, the detainee repeatedly asks, "Who are you?" just before dying. These words echo throughout the novel and send George on a painful journey of self-interrogation and discovery. In order to defend his country and his family, must George betray his humanity?
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Inside Flap:
The Contractor is the first novel to address the issue of American secret prisons in the war on terrorism. George Young, its narrator is a devoted family man and Gulf War veteran, who, when a hometown business venture flops, accepts work as a contracted civilian interrogator for the U.S. government. Soon he's overseas at a secret holding facility for suspected terrorists, a place called Omega. The work pays well, but his personal life is crumbling. His wife—with whom he is forbidden to talk about the work he does—is becoming more and more enamoured of gin and tonic. Worse, a detainee dies in George's hands during a "routine" interrogation. Frightened and confused, the detainee repeatedly asks, "Who are you?" just before dying of an apparent heart attack. These words echo throughout the novel and send George on a painful journey of self-interrogation and discovery. In order to defend his country and his family, must George betray his humanity? Weaving George’s personal life into his professional work deepens this exploration of both mind and soul; of alienations that are startling, maddening, and saddening. Its power lies in the inevitable ways reasonable people can be led to do unreasonable things. The denouement is both chilling and unforgettable. It puts a human face on depravity and the consequences felt by inquisitors as well as those they interrogate.
About the Author:
Charles Holdefer's two previous novels were well received satires: Apologies for Big Rod (1997) and Nice (2001). In The Contractor, he explores a totally new terrain. He lives in France and teaches in the English department of the University of Poitiers and, for the last nine summers, at the University of Iowa's Summer Writing Festival.
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- PublisherBlackstone Audiobooks
- Publication date2007
- ISBN 10 1433211041
- ISBN 13 9781433211041
- BindingMP3 CD
- Rating
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