This week’s column in The Kerryman newspaper
Michael Commane
I’ve just finished reading ‘London Falling’ by Patrick Radden Keefe. It’s a page turner.
He is a brilliant writer and the work and detail he put into ‘London Falling’ is remarkable.
It’s a true story about a young man, Zac Brettler, who leads an unusual life and experiences a more unusual type of death.
There are many strands to the book. It’s first of all the story of how corruption is alive and well in London and how Russian oligarchs have slipped so easily into the dirty money that is no stranger to the English capital.
Rachelle and Matthew Brettler had two children, Joe and Zac. They are a family of the Jewish faith; Rachelle’s father survived the horror of Auschwitz and Matthew’s father managed to get to England when he was 13, which naturally left scars on the families. The world must never forget what the Germans did to the Jewish people across Europe and indeed to those who did not bow to their evil ways.
The Brettlers are reasonably affluent, mother and father have professional jobs; Rachel a writer and Matthew a financier. Joe was born in 1999 and just over a year later Zac was born.
The boys were competitive, with Joe being more academic than Zac, who did not gain entrance to Joe’s school, something that might well have helped sow the seeds of his eventual disaster.
Do we ever understand or appreciate how our futures are influenced by those early years of our lives? Those nine months in our mother’s wombs play a significant role in deciding our destinies. And certainly our family milieu leaves indelible marks on us.
While Zac was not at a top academic school, his school’s roll book included the rich and super rich. At school he began to lie about his background, pretending his family were much wealthier than they actually were.
He was a highly imaginative young man; on leaving school somehow or other he introduced himself to older super rich men, who were impressed with him. He told them his name was Zac Ismailov, the son of a Russian oligarch, who had died and that eventually he would inherit his father’s fortune.
His parents Rachel and Matthew knew nothing about what was going on, though they were concerned about his behaviour at home and his comings and goings.
His new associates believed his lies but when they eventually discovered there was no money there, his body was found in the Thames.
Rachel and Matthew believe that the police left many questions unanswered. Was it that there was someone higher up telling the police to protect the Russian oligarchs?
And that’s what’s frightening about the story of Zac Brettler. On the other hand hasn’t most of the wealth and majesty of London been built on stolen money and corruption.
Patrick Radden Keefe, with Irish ancestry, has written a masterpiece; a true story that warns us all never to be tempted by the lure of great wealth.
My mother always questioned how people could accumulate large sums of money in a short space of time.
'London Falling’ complements my mother’s thoughts. Please read it and find out for yourself.
A great holiday read.
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