Indiscretion

The protagonist of M.G. Crisci’s novel, Indiscretion, Martin Ruff – is a straightforward, type-A business man with a wife and two adult sons. He tells his story in a frank and easy manner, connecting the dots for his reader and presenting the world in a simple, direct manner. The plot, which twists and turns in and out of the corporate world, is just the backdrop for Ruff’s struggling desire to emotionally connect with someone in the midst of family crisis. The ensuing legal repercussions Ruff faces after reaching out to a female coworker in “friendship” chips away at the already crumbling foundation of his personal life.

Crisci’s narrative is written in a first-person narrative, with Martin Ruff as the voice of the story as well as the protagonist. Ruff is direct, straightforward, and seemingly objective – revealed primarily through passages of exposition that move quickly and simply with a perverse attention to the facts. Yet, I found him to possibly be the most deceptively untrustworthy narrator. Ruff’s opinions and conclusions of his family members – and others – are passed through his description of his life’s events with the tone of fact, rather than presumption. In the end, I was left feeling as though I knew very little of the truth about anything.

Although Ruff’s narration and personality kept me emotionally distant from his crises it was a delightful novel as a whole. I felt, once finished, as though I had been able to take a sneak peek into the mind of someone else and experience a different reality than my own. I found Ruff to be prickly, judgmental, and a bit closed off emotionally – he is not a character that I will put down in my favorites out of allegiance or love – however, Crisci’s deft handling of such an untrustworthy narrator definitely affected me as a lover of various perspectives.

If you want a fun, twisty mystery for travel during the holidays, I highly suggest it. If you like a narrative that focuses on an introspective, psychological character sketch, I also suggest this novel. It will appeal to all types of readers.