American Faust

by Rip Brown

Brown's ambitious debut follows the deal-with-the-devil tale of James Harris, an aspiring entrepreneur who finds himself in need of money for his latest foray into the information technology sector. His prayers are answered when a mysterious benefactor known as "The Chairman" offers an exorbitant sum, on one James must travel to his Connecticut hometown and check in on the mysterious Revson estate. James had heard it had burnt to the ground in a lightning storm, but the Chairman insists that, in fact, a woman currently is living there. James tries "to fit the opposing truths together, but they wouldn't make a whole" as he arrives at the house, enters the premises, and finds himself in a timeless world, away from his responsibilities-and soon tempted by the kind of too-good-to-be-true deal that the title promises.
Composed in part of vignettes, elaborate backstories, and theatrical scenes that lean heavily against the fourth wall, this gripping novel combines surprising storytelling approaches and a time-crossing narrative in which past, present, and future converge for the finale. Brown's character development is intricately drawn, examining the complex points of view of the major players, especially James and, eventually, in the novel's 1960s thread, Sharon Peters, a Connecticut divorcee whose descent into Club Heaven & Hell in Greenwich Village is a standout sequence that will shape many fates.

404 pages, Hardcover

Published May 23, 2022

About the author

Rip Brown is a member of The Writer's Room, New York City’s first and most acclaimed professional writers' colony. He studied creative writing at the Harvard Extension School, led writer’s groups and won first prize in Digital Americana’s short fiction competition with an excerpt from his novel, American Faust. A former executive with Walmart in Mexico, Brown turned to writing serious fiction when his daughters became a manageable age. His second novel, The Goatherder’s Tale, is scheduled for release in 2023. He lives and works in New York City.

Reviews

[BookTrib.com]

American Faust presents one of history’s most often retold tales in a more contemporary setting. Through the lens of literary modernism, it becomes a fresh and unique take on the story. The epic elements of Faustian legend are all present: good versus evil, the Lord and the devil, man versus his own fallen nature. The addition of a wonderfully rendered setting, vibrant details and textures, and characters that are incredibly nuanced and complex make this a modern masterpiece.

Read the full review on BookTrib

[Brianna Saad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not my usual style of book, I've never read Faust, but the cover intrigued me and I thought I'd try it out. I found myself a little lost at the beginning, but things started to straighten out once all the characters were introduced.

There are technically three main characters, Lawrence, Sharon, and James. We are given the life history of them all, to demonstrate how their experiences influenced who they are, how the devil tempted them, and their inevitable final decisions. I felt James and Lawrence as very real, flawed people, rich white men given opportunities but very little emotional warmth. I felt Sharon was not quite as fleshed out and clearly written from a man's perspective. Her biggest character point is her extreme beauty which forced her into an unhappy marriage. Now she is being punished for wanting to retain that beauty. I think there is supposed to be a criticism of how women are often defined solely by their looks and the hero can "see past it." But in doing so it falls in the hole of letting her be little more than a childhood fantasy for James.

The writing style was really nicely descriptive, and its blunt delivery of dialogue worked very well with the story. It let itself be little dramatic at times, and I enjoyed the flashback segments formatted like a scene in a play.

Overall, I might have enjoyed it more if I'd known all the references, and it had taken itself slightly less seriously. However, the writing was very good and the story remained interesting.

I received an ARC from Edelweiss.

[Kim Hovanecz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daytona Beach Shores Community Center Book Club reader Barb B said:
This is one of the most indescribable books I have ever read. (Except for some of the classics) It starts out slow but as time goes by it describes the feelings of the characters in the book as some of our feelings. They made the same mistake that a lot of us have made. It is slow to begin with, buts gathers attention as it goes on. #BookTribBC

[Anne P. D.]

There are a few occasions of time travel in this book.
There was a scene where the hero is told to hide under a stairwell, to avoid something, or someone. The person telling him to get under cover says, hilariously, "Don't worry, your won't get any older."