A review of THE MANDIBLES (2016) by Lionel Shriver.
The next 21 Futures book will be an anthology of financial dystopia.
So, I wanted to read and review the best known recent fiction on the topic.
The book traces the fortunes of the Mandibles, a wealthy family living in a badly decaying New York of 2029.
The US dollar has collapsed, and the family suffer a series of misfortunes which lead to several generations sharing the same Brooklyn brownstone house.
If things are going badly for a family with huge generational wealth, a widespread financial portfolio, and a slew of assets, imagine how bad things are for the rest.
Society breaks down at an alarming rate with citizens fighting for basic necessities and healthcare.
The book provides cutting (and often funny) social commentary on the Western worldview, the US health system, and wealth inequality.
The family fortunes go from bad to worse, and they are eventually forced to leave the city in a Grapes of Wrath style journey of salvation.
The cast of characters is broad, and we see kind and good-natured beings break down to their base form, seeking to survive the next day at any cost.
Ultimately, the story is of a country and of a rotten fiat economy coming to its natural conclusion - hyperinflation.
Be prepared for authorial preaching and summary of big-picture events. The book passes through the depression years of 2029 to 2047 and we miss out on large swathes of the characters' lives.
Throughout, I found myself devoid of empathy for most of the Mandible family.
Yet, the book is deeply affecting. The scenes painted are not only realistic, but are highly likely to come to pass at some point in ALL countries as our current financial system crumbles.
This is NOT a relaxing bed-time read. In fact, it will likely give you nightmares.
More than any book on investment strategy, macro economics, or bitcoin evangelism, this book shows the dangers of continuing on the same path.
It shows the dangers of not learning, not preparing, and not changing our misguided ways.
This book, more than any, proves the importance of stories in the world of economics. It is a stark and real presentation of money, 1,000 times more likely to wake wage workers and the financially illiterate from their slumber.
This is the power of fiction.
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