Shelf Life by Martin Sneider © 2023; Jewish leaders Books distributed by Simon & Schuster; ISBN 9781637-631683; 426 pages, $26.
SAN DIEGO – This novel traces the lives of the Feldman family as they build a nationally successful shoe store chain, but at a terrible price.
Max, the founder of the chain, is ruthless in his business practices and is such an egotist that he will stop at nothing to win plaudits and attention for himself, even if it is at the expense of his wife and two sons.
The story is told through the eyes of his older son, Josh, whom Max is supposed to groom to someday take over the business. Yet, Max never fails to degrade and undercut Josh if it suits his purposes.
The inherited wealth of Josh’s mother, Maddy, enabled Max to get the company started in the first place, a fact that Max conveniently ignores as he promotes his business savvy and up-from-the-streets smarts. Maddy doesn’t care if she doesn’t get credit, so long as she keeps her family together. In contrast, Max believes himself too important to be weighed down by such petty domestic concerns.
Max’s other son, Rand, is gay, which diminishes him in Max’s eyes. The two become estranged. Maddy and Josh, however, buttress Rand with their unconditional love. They form a protective alliance within the family against Max’s emotional and financial abuse.
Another important personage in this family drama is Maddy’s father, Gunther, a wily Wall Street lawyer who supports Maddy, Josh, and Rand as they seek to protect themselves.
Yet another prominent person is Amy, Josh’s wife, who is a brilliant lawyer. Amy, along with Maddy and Rand, urge Josh not to continue working for his father, predicting that anytime Max is faced with a choice between glorifying himself and being loyal to his family, he will always choose the former. But Josh believes he can “handle” Max and somehow advance through the ranks to run the company himself.
A showdown is inevitable for this dysfunctional family.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor emeritus of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com