Closing Arguments

by Frederick Busch

Marcus Brennan is a successful small-town lawyer on the verge of a breakdown. His wife, Schelle, thinks it’s post-traumatic stress disorder from his years as a POW in Vietnam. Planning the dedication of a memorial for Vietnam soldiers, she asks Marcus to say a few words at the ceremony, hoping the experience will help to exorcise his demons. But after agreeing to defend Estella Pritchett, a social worker accused of murdering her lover, Marcus begins a downward spiral into the murky depths of his own past–where sex is violent, where love means betrayal, and where his own memories have the power to destroy him. . . .

Genres: Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Frederick Busch (1941–2006) was the recipient of many honors, including an American Academy of Arts and Letters Fiction Award, a National Jewish Book Award, and the PEN/Malamud Award. The prolific author of sixteen novels and six collections of short stories, Busch is renowned for his writing’s emotional nuance and minimal, plainspoken style. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he lived most of his life in upstate New York, where he worked for forty years as a professor at Colgate University.

Reviews

[gaudeo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is well-written but deeply disturbing. The main character is so troubled by his past experiences as a soldier and POW in the Vietnam War that his relationships--all of them--barely function. Even sadder to say, although he "learns" a number of things through the progress of the novel, I can't say that he changes much. What's more, there's a good deal of sex in this book that in my mind crosses the line into the violent--again, deeply disturbing. I recommend this book only if you want a close look into the mental processes of a former soldier's experience in Vietnam.

[Timothy Bazzett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The late Frederick Busch's books just kept getting better and better. CLOSING ARGUMENTS, his 17th book, is a darkly disturbing - and I mean REALly disTURbing - novel of murder and sexual obsession (with an unhealthy dose of S&M and bondage in the mix). Let's see, there is also a close look at post-traumatic-stress-disorder, as experienced by both victims of childhood abuse and Vietnam combat veterans. Attorney Mark Brenner and his client, Estella Pritchett, are two kinky characters you will not soon forget. Their lawyer-client relationship becomes dark and dangerous all too quickly. Both hold dark secrets that are at the heart of this twisted story. A bit of King, a bit of Roth and a LOT of Frederick Busch. Suspense is too mild a word to describe this story. And the ending, well ... You'll just have to read the book. Higly literate, deeply disturbing, I recommend it highly.

[Kat Walter · Rating 1 out of 5]

No. Just no. Didn’t care for style or content. Didn’t finish.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was one of the worst I have ever read.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enlightened to PTSD after reading this. A little difficult to read because of fragmented thoughts. But I imagine that is PTSD.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this because I went to Colgate and Fred Busch taught there. Good on 'im for writing but I didn't think that it was particularly good.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not an easy read, but I love his writing.

[Fayette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! I found this book in my bookshelf, no idea where I picked it up. But it's INTENSE! I give it 3 stars because it was jumpy and I needed to push myself to stay with it...but it improved.

[Suzanne Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit raw, but I was hooked, maybe because court room dramas are my favorites. loved the style and characters were well developed for a short book.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Busch gives us yet another man tormented by interpersonal conflict, inner turmoil, and self-deception and -doubt. And another winner of a novel. Why is he not more widely known?