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.
Review:
An impressive and moving portrayal of the secret detention and interrogation system. --Margaret Satterthwaite, Director of The Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, NYU Law School
George Young is a freelance interrogator working for the U.S. government at a top-secret island prison. His assignment: question suspected terrorists and find out whatever he can. It's not the most cheerful of jobs, but George is very good at it, and the money is great. Not so great is the reaction of his family-- wife, son, daughter-- who came with George to the island prison (code-named Omega) as part of a morale-boosting experiment. But it's plain to see that George's personal life is collapsing under him. And when a prisoner dies during interrogation, after repeatedly asking the question, Who are you? George realizes that, somewhere along the way, he has indeed lost sight of who he is and what sort of person he is supposed to be. Self-discovery stories are a dime a dozen, but this one is different than most of them. By placing this familiar theme in a new (and very timely) setting, Holdefer gives us additional layers of emotional depth: George isn't just trying to figure out who he is; he is trying to figure out what his country is, and whether he is a good guy or just another terrorist wearing a different suit of clothes. A compelling mix of thriller, psychodrama, and, yes, political commentary. --Starred Review Booklist
Stylish, fiercely funny and frightening --Kirkus Reviews
Stylish, fiercely funny and frightening --Kirkus Reviews
An impressive and moving portrayal of the secret detention and interrogation system. --Margaret Satterthwaite, Director of The Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, NYU Law School
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