The Heavy Side: A Novel

by Ben Rogers

A hotshot Silicon Valley programmer teams up with a Mexican drug cartel in this literary thriller. Vik Singh has developed a lucrative app for drug dealers, and now both the DEA and the cartel are hunting him. Narrated by Vik’s girlfriend, Remi, the story grapples with America’s insatiable hunger for drugs and the human toll it takes. We witness a young man confronting his artistic pride and a young couple trying to make up for past betrayals.

“As original as it is mesmerizing.” (Matt Gallagher, author of Empire City)

“Vivid...lyrical...haunting. Very highly recommended.” (Midwest Book Review)

“One of the smartest and best literary works you will read this decade.” (Caleb Cage, Nevada Writers Hall of Fame Silver Pen recipient)

“Rogers’ precise language makes the twists of Vik’s code as involving as the particulars of his getaway plan.” (Jenny Shank, winner of the High Plains Book Award)

“Springs from the well-organized mind of an engineer with the soul of a storyteller.” (Mark Maynard, Nevada Writers Hall of Fame Silver Pen recipient)

“Filled with tremendous writing about the meaning of code, and what coding a masterpiece might be like. It fills a spot on the bookshelf next to the mesmerizing works of James Ellroy.” (Joseph G. Peterson, author of The Rumphulus)

Genres: Thriller, Fiction

Audible Audio

First published November 16, 2019

About the author

Rogers’ debut novel The Flamer was called “one of the wisest, funniest, strangest novels I’ve ever read” by Christopher Coake, and “diabolically funny” by Claire Vaye Watkins. He is also the author of The Daughters, The Heavy Side, and The Mayfly. His work has been published in The Rumpus, PANK, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The Portland Review, Arroyo Literary Review, and Wag’s Revue, and has earned the Nevada Arts Council Fellowship. He is also the lead author of Nanotechnology: Understanding Small Systems, the first-ever comprehensive textbook on nanotechnology, and Nanotechnology: The Whole Story, both of which earned the CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award from the American Library Association. He studied engineering and journalism in college and has worked as a business analyst, a newspaper reporter, a teacher, and a scientist at various labs, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He is currently the Director of Engineering at NevadaNano. For more information, visit www.readrogers.com.

Reviews

[cynth reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

"You're the math guy. You know you can go halfway forever and still never get somewhere."

This quote basically sums up the book. A character-driven literary novel with boring characters and pages of dry conversation poorly dressed up as quirky. With a few unnecessary references to Zeno's paradox and Heaviside function thrown in.

Read this review with a detailed rating breakdown at my blog.

Actually, the premise of The Heavy Side is quite good - a nerdy Indian coder who teams up with a wannabe drug lord, making an algorithm that revolutionizes the cocaine dealing business. If it were marketed and written purely as a thriller, I think it would be a decent read. Unfortunately, it is not. The pacing (except Part II, which I rather liked) is mind-numbingly slow.

Even worse, most of the story is dedicated to the narrator and love interest, an underemployed girl with an English lit PhD who steals things, listens to Radiohead, and looks like a character from Baywatch. For some reason, she's weirdly conscious of her gender (female) and ethnicity (half-Persian).

Some incredible gems from her internal dialogue:

I set the tumbler down and blotted coquettishly at my mouth with a cocktail napkin.

I was utterly enthralled with the man sitting across from me.

From the male lead:

He wanted to embrace me, this hardcore girl who now seemed too fragile to touch.

(Yeah, that's not how you should write female characters.)

The author's understanding of race relations and the experiences of Mexican and Indian immigrants also seem to need some work. This was so apparent that halfway through the book, I actually looked him up because I was curious what his ethnic background was.

As for the setting, I'm in computer science and I've experienced the Silicon Valley culture. And I can say that it's just not convincing to me. Sure, Burning Man, Lake Tahoe, skiing... it just feels very surface level. Also, most SV yuppie-types I've met are not this boring. The parts about Vik while he's coding are... passable. Certainly not inspired, and there were a lot of details that threw me off (like the part about a Russian server), but maybe a layperson wouldn't notice.

The problem about this book isn't the writing quality or the story itself, but rather, it just doesn't pass muster as a literary work. This is a thriller about two normal middle-class-ish characters, a man and a woman, escaping from a Mexican drug cartel. It doesn't say anything meaningful, and it seems poorly researched, like a book written by an outsider. The subject matter simply isn't treated with respect. Sounds familiar (American Dirt), right?

Do not recommend.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Matt Ashbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

fully immersed myself in this one... really couldn't put it down until I was done. Rogers sets up the scene perfectly in idyllic Tahoe, then mixes in modern day computing power, social networking, drugs and big money! Quite a joy

[C. Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben Rogers has a way of completely mesmerizing his reader. I was captivated from the get-go.
Fast-paced with a lot of action and suspense. It fits everything about the thriller genre. I found myself consumed with the story Rogers brought us. He makes sure not to inundate the reader with unimportant stuff and just keep the book exciting and full of drama.
The writing was smart and witty at times, which gave it another element.

[R.K. Emery · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing storyline. I think that the way Ben Rogers has written the story really allows readers to become sucked into the character's lives and ultimate outcome.
It was very well written and I enjoyed the mix of action and suspense with darker themes.
I loved the writing style, it was easy to follow and the pacing was spot on.

[Amie Newberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fast-paced read is an interesting look at the civilized world of computer coding meeting the underworld of drug trafficking and dealing.

[Richard Derus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2* of five, all for the idea

The Publisher Says: The Heavy Side explores the unlikely and fateful collaboration of a hotshot Silicon Valley programmer and a Mexican drug cartel.

Vik Singh has developed a clever app for drug dealers, and now both the DEA and the cartel are after him. Narrated by Vik's girlfriend, Remi, the story grapples with America’s insatiable hunger for drugs and the human toll it takes on our neighbors to the south. We witness a young man confronting his artistic pride and a young couple trying to make up for past betrayals.

"The Social Network" meets "Narcos" in this suspenseful and intelligent literary thriller.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Very very dull. I took over five years to finish it but I did, so I'm counting it as a full-blown read. The idea appeals to me, the nerdy tech scum agreeing to make an app to *help*a*drug*dealer*succeed* without irony, or implicit condemation.

I wondered if the author's ever had an actual conversation with a female human. The "girlfriend" character was laughably "seductive"...even your sister could tell you no woman thinks the word "coquettish" in reference to blotting her lipstick.

[Thomas Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vik Singh is good at what does in fact he is very good. What does he do he writes code . He comes from a family with strong work ethic and a desire to be the next Steve Jobs or the next Bill Gates. When he is in the groove he goes for days before he takes a break. Vik after meeting a drug wholesaler at a party decides he can help improve this wholesaler's business and become somebody in the process. He seems to have it all money and nice place at Lake Tahoe and apparently a new girlfriend. But things start to take a turn when Vik notices someone has been in his house. Whose was it and what are they after ? The new girlfriend has secrets of her own that are revealed and he is also starting to get squeezed on finishing the program by his partner who has his own ambitions. Apparently there are no honors among thieves. And with all this he finds that the DEA is interested in him. This is a quick read that you will have to pick up to see how it turns out and find out what are the girlfriend's intentions are, does he finish the program ?, does the DEA catch up with him and for what and most of all whom was in the house. At times I did find the switching of the thoughts of the characters in almost mid-sentence a little annoying. I would rate this book 3 1/2 stars out of five

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Ben Rogers' latest book and it was terrific! Set in Lake Tahoe, Sacramento and Juarez, Mexico, we meet Vik Singh and his kind-of girlfriend, Remi, as they navigate a budding relationship. Vik is a programmer that writes code and not so much on the legal side of programming either. Vik gets involved with a Mexican drug cartel when he writes code that helps their business make more money. He, and Remi by association, get in much deeper than Vik ever expected and must figure out a way to get out. This novel had an engaging plot and was well paced - a real page turner! It's cool, too, when it's set in communities nearby!

[Greta G. Hambsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Combining the techno world with drug sales made for an interesting read. I selected this book because it was written by a regional author, publishing his own work. The story kept my interest, and the relationship of Vik and Los, the two main characters was complex enough to be interesting. I never developed total trust in the narrator, Vik's love interest. Her short tenure in the action did not make her a reliable source to narrate the history of events. Overall this book was an entertaining read.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a love story, well kinda. If you see an opportunity do you grab for it? When lots of money and power is at stake who can you really trust? This book is a fasted paced read about computer code, money, math equations, and drugs. Ohh yeah...a lot about drugs, mostly cocaine, and the inner workings of an Mexican drug cartel. I very much enjoyed it and if you are into quick reads about an illicit world, I would recommend you give this book a try.

I was provided a copy of this book to review by NetGalley, but as always, that never impacts my rating of a book.

[Omega June · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a story about a software engineer who writes an app for drug dealers. Overall, I liked the story. It was smart and exciting. The pace was slow at first, but eventually became a page-turner. My only criticism is that it was confusing on whether the story was being told by Remy or a narrator. It seemed to switch back and forth.

[Louise Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very original premise and that made for an interesting read in itself. I found the book tried to be too many things - too many genres and alternately very focused on character building at the expense of plot and then vice versa. It was such a clever idea that I kept with it even when the characters annoyed me. This will find its target audience, I am sure.

[Samantha Turley · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it has a decent plot, that’s not what you’re here for. You’re here for the crazy and unexpected twists and turns. For all the characters and the ins and outs of their lives. If you have a deep appreciation for thrillers that make you think, this is for you.
When you pick up this book, don’t expect anything. Just enjoy the ride.

[Gina Stamper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. It didn’t disappoint in the genre. It delivered. It contained all of the elements that I find important to thrillers.
The characters all have depth and presence. I found them each to be very interesting as they all have some sort of problem of their own and is very different from each other.
I flew through this story in one night. Don’t miss it.

[Margot Frye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. This story moves like a rocket and has twists and turns along the way. The characters have flaws and so many secrets it is tough to keep up! The author has created a true cat and mouse game and his story is compelling. This is a great choice for any reader who enjoys a good thriller with crazy situations.

[Snow Grimsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel and am glad i picked it up. You will be invested in the characters of Vik and Remi and want to follow their entanglement with the cartel.
The mathematics and computer science angle of the story was a new twist & added interesting dimension to the story.

[Janice Lombardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quite interesting story about happenings in Incline Village (located in Lake Tahoe).

Vik is a computer ace. He began programming even before there was a Silicon Valley. His girlfriend knows that he is holding something back about himself. She believes that it s about his work...

Meanwhile, Vik has been watched via binoculars. This, most likely, to steal some of Vik's computer work.

The reader wants to know the secret behind Vik and why this is so highly important to others.

An OK read especially for the espionage-minded and suspense lovers.

Many Thanks to CQ Books and NetGalley for a different type of read

[Rich Padzik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The coder and the mob.

Solid story line, but writer would drift away. Parts between lead character and leading lady ran together. Some what confusing.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting thriller. Any story set in Lake Tahoe makes for a good start. It was obvious the author knew technology and programming and was very nice to read appropriate terminology.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story makes you think about what could be. It was a trip for sure. You will not like the actions of the characters but you will like them.

[Jvd · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I find a book that instructs, involves, informs AND transports me somewhere else, and does so with a sophisticated storyline, vocabulary, plus is thoroughly thrilling, how could I not give it 5 stars? This book, especially in its audio format, does all that. By the end, I felt I had visited Lake Tahoe and all the locations, the sensory descriptions were so vivid, or I saw the movie, (which is a good idea, Hollywood!) the scenes were so clear. Now I know nothing about apps and coding, and not much about algorithms, but I was right there with the author's descriptions of the intricate code Vic Singh, the main character, wrote and developed.
I like this book so much I read Ben Rogers' other book, The Flamer, as well. This book is a 5-star novel.

[Travis Bow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up because it was written by a Reno author and set largely at Lake Tahoe, but it held up as more than a good-for-a-local-author story. A thriller that felt authentic from both a characterization and engineering perspective and was often borderline-literary in the quality of writing, it was a page turner with a satisfying ending. Not my normal genre, but I enjoyed it immensely.