February review: The Lizards of Palm Beach

I always enjoy partnering with Inkberry Books because I've received great recommendations with such interesting titles. This week, I had the pleasure to review Bruce McDougall's novel, The Lizards of Palm Beach.

This is a tale about two brothers, a gold-digging teen, a flamboyant art dealer, a Jeffrey Epstein-like art collector, and other people (mainly rich) who live in the Palm Beach area. Let me tell you--it's a doozy. There's obviously art, a discussion and critique about both the search for and the value of money. And thrown in for good measure, there are a couple of super fancy parties, and sadly, two deaths.

This story begins with the captivating hook in media-res, i.,e. when the story starts in the middle of the action rather than the beginning. Immediately, we're in the middle of the narration, with the narrator explaining how he met a wealthy friend at an art gallery. This gallery is central to the story, because Lizards isn't about the narrator's friend, it's about an artist formerly handled by the gallery, and his story is quite dramatic.

In the next part of the book, we are introduced to Mark Rondell and Mary Louise Hobsbawn who are on their way to the M2 gallery to meet Darius Pierre. He agrees to sell Rondell's lizard sculptures they present him, on the condition that jewels are added, and so begins the story of fraternal betrayal (or at least one brother taking advantage of the other) while also exploring the idea of wealth and what it can do to a person.

Wealth is at the center of the book. Dwayne Forbes, Rondell's brother, acknowledges that money is needed to live, but he doesn't like it, believing that it's evil. Forbes is in the minority because both Rondell and Hobsbawn desperately want it and will do nearly anything to get it. The rest of the Palm Beach cast, including Pierre, his patron Melanie Merriwether, Keith Kleppman and crew all equate money to power and are constantly trying to out-do each other with their overspending. I don't want to give too much away, but this competition and showmanship provides both setting and plot for the middle section of the book.

Overall, it's a great read--it's entertaining, the characters are well developed, and I really thought it was interesting how McDougall uses the sale of the lizard sculptures and art, more broadly, to discuss wealth. This is a book that's character-driven rather than plot driven. So, if you're a fan of a lot of action and events, this book doesn't have it. Instead, McDougall uses the art world as a sort of lens through which to view human nature. This is accomplished especially by the juxtaposition of Dwayne, who doesn't like money, and everyone else who are greedy and use wealth as a means of exercising (or gaining) power.

I also liked the references to real life that were sprinkled throughout the book; for example, there's a reference to Vic Damone's death and a number of references to the president "who likes to vacation at Mar-a-Lago." Eventually, McDougall does mention Trump by name, but once I had those two clues, I realized the book took place sometime around 2018-19. This was a fun little addition to the book because by doing so, McDougall really grounded the story in current times.

A short novel, Lizards can appeal to a number of readers--those who like fiction, those who don't "love to read," those who like realistic stories rather than fantastical ones. So, if you're looking for a relatively quick read that looks at human nature--through the lens of wealth/art--this is a great choice for you. However, as mentioned at the beginning of the review, one character is kind of reminiscent of Jeffrey Epstein. Remember Mary Louise, Rondell's friend? She "recruits" her friends to go to parties that they probably shouldn't be going to, much to the detriment of one particular friend. So, if allusions to inappropriate acts with minors is triggering, be aware that this is a minor subplot.

Happy Reading!