What Will People Say? A Novel

About this book

What you have here is a social‑drama set in 20th‑century New York, cataloguing the tangled relationships of a group of acquaintances who gather for an opera. The opening thrusts the reader into a noisy backstage of cynicism, jokes, and whispered gossip, as characters like the impatient Willie, the sardonic Persis, and the self‑important Forbes trade barbs while a Wagner performance looms. Their banter quickly spirals into a commentary on the pretensions of the opera crowd, the absurdity of a “military expert” summoned from the Philippines, and the way the audience’s emotions are hijacked by the tragic love story onstage. The scene culminates in the shared, almost theatrical, grief of Forbes and Persis as they react to the death of Tristan, their hands clasped in a moment that blurs performance and reality.

The novel’s voice is brisk, witty, and heavily laced with period slang, echoing the cadence of early‑1900s newspaper columns and stage reviews. Its style mixes rapid dialogue with dense, almost theatrical description, giving the narrative a lively, almost cinematic quality. Readers who enjoy intricate character sketches, satirical takes on high society, and a glimpse into the cultural rituals of pre‑war New York, especially those who appreciate the interplay of humor and melodrama, will find this work engaging.