TOO MUCH MONEY by Dominick Dunne
Dominick Dunne, who died recently, was a detailed profiler of the very rich in this country. He wrote novel after novel about their lifestyles and habits and thinly disguised the actual people in his stories. He was part of the “in” crowd but also an observer of it. TOO MUCH MONEY is his last novel and sadly it is one of his weakest.
In most of his books about the rich Dunne used a character named Gus Bailey. He was an alter ego of sorts for the author and he narrated the tales Dunne wanted to tell. Gus is a reporter, an author, and a required guest at most of the social functions in New York City. People like Gus and tell him their innermost secrets as well as those of others.
At this time of his life Gus should be at the top of his game but he is embroiled in a lawsuit filed against him by a senator. Gus wrote that this man was involved in the disappearance and possible murder of a young woman and the senator is not taking these allegations lying down. Gus fears this lawsuit will wipe him out financially.
At the same time Elias Renthal is being released from a prison after serving several years for fraud. Elias still has a fortune but he fears he and his wife Ruby will not be welcomed back to New York society with open arms. Ruby, who has a checkered past, is doing everything in her power to make them acceptable once again.
It is interesting to see how the recession has affected the moneyed folk of society. There are sacrifices that must be made and God forbid some of them might even have to get jobs. Gus sees it all and chronicles it for the reader.
The problem with TOO MUCH MONEY is that nothing really happens in the story. You get the portraits of the rich and famous but little else. There is no one story or theme that attracts the attention of the reader. There are scattered vignettes that concern the same people but there is no cohesive narrative to move the plot along.
Dunne is a skilled writer and he knows the people about whom he writes. But knowing them and making them interesting are two different things. The book needs a plot and without one the interest in the characters soon fades.
The rich are different as we have all been told. They have their own rules and their own morals. This is a clear point made in Dunne’s books. They generally lead interesting lives just because they are different, but none of those stories are shared in this novel. You just tread water while reading this story, waiting for something of interest to happen. It never does.
Dominick Dunne lived in the limelight. At times his life was full of tragedy and torment. He used his pain to hone his clear observations. He was successful with this in books such as AN INCONVENIENT WOMAN, THE TWO MRS. GLENVILLES, and PEOPLE LIKE US. He is not successful with this book and that puts a smear on an otherwise amazing career.
TOO MUCH MONEY is published by Crown Publishers. It contains 275 pages and sells for $26.00.