Title: Lightning Rods
Author: Helen DeWitt
First published October 5, 2011
273 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780811219433 (ISBN10: 0811219437)
Rating: 3.43
Overview
Joe wants to achieve success, but he’s struggling to make ends meet. After failing to sell anything for six months, he is on the verge of giving up.
But when he comes up with the idea of Lightning Rods, Inc., his life takes a wild and unexpected turn. Joe’s solution to combat sexual harassment in the modern office is outrageous, but it works.
As his company grows, Joe finds himself at the heart of corporate insanity, navigating sex, race, and power dynamics. Helen DeWitt’s Lightning Rods is a hard-boiled modern fable that brims with satiric energy, humor, and philosophical depth.
This wild and hilarious story is a must-read for anyone looking for a fresh perspective on corporate life and contemporary society.
About the Author
Helen DeWitt is a novelist who was born in Takoma Park, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., in 1957. She spent most of her childhood in South America, including Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador, due to her parents’ work in the United States diplomatic service.
DeWitt attended Northfield Mount Hermon School for a year and also studied at Smith College for two short periods before pursuing classics at the University of Oxford. She first studied at Lady Margaret Hall and then at Brasenose College for her D.Phil.
DeWitt is most well-known for her successful debut novel. While struggling to complete the book, she held various jobs such as a dictionary text tagger, a copytaker, a Dunkin’ Donuts employee, and also worked in a laundry service.
She reportedly attempted to finish many novels during this time before finally completing her 50th manuscript in 1998. In 2005, she collaborated with London-based painter Ingrid Kerma for an exhibition.
In 2004, DeWitt went missing from her home in Staten Island, but she was found unharmed a few days later at Niagara Falls. She currently lives in Berlin where she recently finished her second novel in collaboration with Australian journalist Ilya Gridneff.
DeWitt met Gridneff in an East London pub shortly before her departure for New York. She was impressed by the linguistic virtuosity of his e-mails and suggested creating a book inspired by Charlie Kaufman’s “Being John Malkovich” with Gridneff as Malkovich.
Editoral Review
Lightning Rods, a provocative novel by Helen DeWitt, was first published on October 5, 2011. DeWitt is an American novelist and a former assistant professor of classics, known for her innovative writing style and complex characters.
Lightning Rods is a satirical work that blends elements of comedy and social commentary, exploring themes such as gender roles, power dynamics, and morality in the workplace.
The novel revolves around Joe, a struggling salesman who comes up with a bizarre idea to increase productivity in the workplace. He proposes the use of “lightning rods,” women who are hired to have anonymous sex with male employees in private rooms, thereby releasing their sexual tension and improving their performance.
The idea is met with skepticism at first but gains popularity and leads to Joe’s success. However, as the operation expands, it becomes more complicated, and Joe must navigate various ethical dilemmas, including issues of consent and exploitation.
DeWitt’s writing style is sharp and witty, with a keen eye for detail and a talent for crafting memorable characters. She uses humor to skewer societal norms and expose their absurdities, challenging readers to question their own assumptions and biases.
The book is a biting satire of corporate culture, showcasing the dehumanizing effects of modern capitalism on both the individual and the community.
One of the strengths of Lightning Rods is its complex characterization. DeWitt avoids easy stereotypes, creating characters that are flawed, multifaceted, and often contradictory.
Joe, for example, is both a sympathetic underdog and a morally dubious opportunist, while the lightning rods themselves are both victims and agents of their circumstances. The novel also features a diverse cast of characters, including people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and immigrants, highlighting the intersectionality of identity and the ways in which societal structures affect people differently.
The pacing of the novel is brisk, with short chapters that keep the reader engaged and the plot moving forward. DeWitt’s use of multiple narrators adds depth and complexity to the story, allowing for differing perspectives and insights.
The novel is also notable for its use of language, with DeWitt’s prose often playful and inventive, full of puns, allusions, and wordplay.
Despite its many strengths, Lightning Rods is not without flaws. The book’s premise is inherently controversial, and some readers may find it offensive or problematic.
The novel also has a tendency to veer into didacticism at times, with characters delivering long-winded speeches about the nature of morality and the importance of ethical behavior.
Overall, Lightning Rods is a bold and thought-provoking novel that challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about power, sexuality, and morality. It is recommended for readers who enjoy satirical works that push the boundaries of conventional storytelling.
However, due to its controversial subject matter and explicit sexual content, it may not be suitable for all audiences. Therefore, I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
