American Redemption

Richard Wilson’s modern day fiction touches upon topics that are dominating the headlines: namely the greed of the financial services industry and inequality.

American Redemption is a compelling personal narrative of a young man consumed by ambition. The story contrasts humor and grief, explores how death impacts individual lives, and reveals how excessive greed brings ruin in its wake. Sex and fidelity are mixed together in a topsy-turvy brew.

‘Much of my academic career was devoted to the study of moral reasoning and behaviour, and I’ve long wanted to write about morality as a real-life drama, how a person’s moral views alter under the impact of inevitable life crises,’ observes Richard, who is a distinguished Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University. A graduate of Princeton University where he earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees, Richard also worked on Wall Street and served as an Intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy, much like his main character in American Redemption.

‘This is a page turning drama which unfolds to a climax with a startling revelation and a reaffirmation of the bonds that cement people one to another,’ he observes.

Synopsis:

Who has not dreamt of fabulous wealth and wondered how to grasp riches and fame? Will Davison did not wonder. With the instincts of a pirate, he pursued money and position, brushing aside the objections of a twin brother, his wife and others. On Wall Street, in the Navy and in his sex life, he grabbed what he wanted, and always more. Like America he worked hard and was sometimes lucky. But something was twisted, and he didn’t know it. Following the death of his wife, he entered a dubious relationship with a criminal financier. Little did he realize that this route to wealth would one day lead to the suicide of his brother. As he grappled with the truth of his life, he was shadowed by values that had long been rejected.