A POSTURING OF FOOLS by Brewster Milton Robertson
Brewster Milton Robertson delivers a unique story in his novel A POSTURING OF FOOLS. He presents us with a leading character we can't possibly like, but situates him in a plot we can't possibly ignore. Logan Baird is an adulterer, a kiss up, and a liar. The only positive thing that can be said about him is he plays a good game of golf. Still, following him through the course of four days at a luxurious resort makes for fascinating reading.
Baird is a pharmaceutical salesman who is attending a four-day conference at the Greenbriar Hotel in West Virginia. He has left his wife and son at home and is meeting his boss, Rush Donald, at the airport near the hotel. They drive over to the vacation spot together.
One reason Baird is tolerable to the reader is because Donald is not. Every bad trait Logan has, Rush has it worse. He is a snob, a blow-hard, a want to be ladies man, and an egomaniac. In short he is insufferable from the outset and never gets any better.
Logan kisses up to him because he wants to get his job when Rush is promoted. Thus he never calls him down for his rudeness or his snobbishness. He goes along to get along, even if it is eating him up inside.
The people in the middle class are the villains in this book. The upper class is in a world of its own, while the lower class is minding its manners in hopes of improvement. The middle class criticizes the upper class while secretly envying every single thing they have achieved; and acts obnoxiously towards the lower class so they can have a feeling of superiority.
Robertson is the master at conveying these social strata and the moods and manners that accompany them. It is a ruthless world out there and Robertson shows just how treacherous those waters can be. Women, as well as men, who are in a competitive situation will do anything to come out on top.
When Baird decides to cheat on his wife, he does it with gusto. He embarks on not one, but two affairs over the course of his stay at the Greenbriar. Robertson revels in the chance to describe these illicit encounters, which will singe the reader's fingers as they touch the pages.
You will leave the pages of A POSTURING OF FOOLS wishing there had been a redemptive act of some sort in the life of Logan Baird. You will also leave with the knowledge that you have partaken of a full-bodied story written by a master storyteller.
Robertson doesn't go for the easy "goody-goody" ending but rather opts to let it play out in much the way life often does. Bad guys sometimes stay bad guys, and not every one learns from their mistakes. That's life, and in this case that's literature.
A POSTURING OF FOOLS is published by River City. It contains 408 pages and sells for $27.95.