Trilemma

For those of you who like thought provoked by titles, here comes Trilemma. Whereas a dilemma requires a difficult choice between two alternates, the “tri” adds one more element into the mix. So here’s a rising female executive who’s made her name as a project manager. She’s invited to New Zealand to help a start-up muscle into the broadband communications market. Predictably, the political agenda of some on the Board doesn’t necessarily match the commercial priorities of the company. This creates tensions and, when she’s forced to knock heads together to get things done, enemies are made.

Her other motives for “returning” to New Zealand (she was born there but left for America when she was young), are to meet members of her estranged family, and to attempt rebuilding a relationship with a man whom she met in America but now lives in New Zealand.

Since this is a first-person narrative, we have only a limited view of the motives of those around her. So as the book develops, there’s no real indication whether there are physical dangers. This leaves us with a fascinating insight into the mindset successful career women require, family politics, and the art of rekindling romance.