The Wisdom of Perversity is the ripped from the headlines new novel by Rafael Yglesias from Algonquin Books. It’s a novel about child molestation and the devastating and long-term effects it can have on all parties. The Wisdom of Perversity is not an easy read. In fact I would say it’s a very uncomfortable book to read.
There were times when I was reading it where I did not want to go on. Not because it was bad but because reading about a small child being molested is not something most people want to read.
I think that is Mr. Yglesias’ point. The characters in this book all want to push what happened to themselves under the carpet even though it is causing them harm in their lives.
The novel has three main characters who were molested, two characters that were the molesters, and a mother who may end up being winner of worst mother ever.
The story opens in 1966 when two friends, Jeff and Brian, are invited on the set of the Johnny Carson Show where an incident happens and one of the boys gets dirty and is forced to go to the men’s room to clean up. He is offered help by the cousin who works there and that is when the molestation begins.
It’s a moment that changes everything. The molester is a cousin of Jeff’s and is often at his house up to no good molesting wherever he can, whether it is Brian, Jeff, or another cousin Julie.
This molester just likes them young. Jeff’s mother is a manipulator and is bedridden with an illness that may or may not be real. When the novel jumps to 2008 we see Jeff as a famous director and Brian as a screenwriter. They haven’t spoken in many years because of what happened one fateful night when they were young.
Mr. Yglesias also throws in a character that is Polanski-like in practically every way. One could also claim that Jeff could be loosely based on Bryan Singer but in a way where Jeff is a silent victim but knew exactly what was happening to his friends being molested by his cousin and his cousin’s young counterpart.
Brian and Julie want to confront Jeff and talk about what happened when they were kids. He really doesn’t have an interest because it will make him not look good because he kind of gave his cousin a pass being held responsible for what he did.
Now if this review is making you not want to pick up this book that is not my intention. Mr. Yglesias is talking about something that is going to make some people in Hollywood very uncomfortable.
At the end, the book will leave you floored when you find out that someone who was supposed to be a protector of children has literally sold out her child so he could have a better life. I won’t go into detail because her reasons are beyond twisted. You could even say that certain lawyers and businesses that are making off these molesters are happy to ignore the issue as long as the paychecks keep coming.
The victims are left having no one believe them and living a life desperate for normalcy when that can never happen because what has been done to them can never be considered normal. A disturbing, thought provoking read.
