VICE VERSA
by Michael Goodwin
A campaign staffer finds himself wrongfully accused of a crime during the 2020 Donald Trump–Joe Biden presidential race in this alternative-history satire.
As Election Day in America nears, rumors float that the Chinese are bankrolling Biden’s presidential bid. The head of a Washington, D.C., strategic intelligence firm hires former MI5 operative Danny Copper to see if there’s validity to this scuttlebutt. Copper turns to someone working on Biden’s campaign—Hong Kong–born Gary Wang. The pair’s drunken conversation sparks the mere suggestion that the candidate is aware the Chinese are bankrolling his presidential run. Copper adds fuel to the fire by digging up “plausible evidence” against Biden, though it’s little more than further rumors. Meanwhile, someone throws Wang’s life into a tailspin by leaking his name in the press as a reputed “back channel” to the Chinese. The feds scour his New York City apartment, and reporters hound him and his girlfriend, Manny Carleton, a Fox News assistant guest coordinator. Wang may run before he’s arrested for supposedly accepting money from China for Biden’s election campaign. But the only place Wang has to go is an estranged relative’s place, which will likely stir up a past he’s kept hidden. Goodwin’s novel lampoons both political sides, as Republicans and Democrats scramble to either debunk the accusations or substantiate them. Though this narrative leans toward conservative views, nearly every character is shady, including a cutthroat CNN reporter with a right-wing agenda. An extensive cast and comedic moments help propel the story, from President Trump’s repeated descriptions of certain people as good guys to a surprisingly funny interrogation scene. But the author takes some subjects seriously, as when protests spiral into violence. The latter half takes a welcome turn by concentrating on sympathetic Wang, who, in trying to prove his innocence, gets caught up with criminals. The final act suitably wraps up his personal story as well as the impending election.
An absorbing, unsparing critique of American politics with humor and a likable protagonist.