Debt

by Ryan DeRome

Ann Harris, an ace debt collector, thought she had it all figured out - money in the bank, a promising career at a law firm, and an unwavering view of what it meant to be a success. Her values are challenged when suddenly she is outperformed by the demons inside her and coerces Thomas Moore, a man at the end of his rope, to become a victim of her anger and conviction against people like her father who were the irresponsible deadbeats of the world. When her law firm forces her into a paid leave of absence, Ann is faced with life-threatening depression which begs her to find her soul again, and slowly, the coldness inside Ann melts when she begins to learn the truth about David, her dying father, and the effect of her damaging ideals upon those who loved her most - such as her younger sister Kate and her devoted ex-boyfriend Paul. Debt is a journey into the heart to explore pride, self-reliance, and our own values which give us the illusion of what it means to survive in a world where one man's misfortune often becomes another man's profit.

280 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2012

Reviews

[P.M. Briede · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was curious about Debt as the story is set in a collections environment and I worked in that environment myself when I started my professional career. The lengths Ann's employer took and encourages her to take, I hope is more literary license than real world commentary. But here are the things I liked and didn't like about the book.

First, I enjoyed Ann's journey of self-realization that the job and life she put so much pride in isn't one that offers soulful rewards in the long run. There is a climatic event that occurs and sets her on this path but her bravery to walk it really speaks through the prose. There are bridges that need to be mended and those that need to be built, and there isn't once any moment where it seems that they come easy to Ann.

What I didn't enjoy was the overall flow and editing of the book. The lack of pertinent punctuation and paragraph breaks makes what is a good story with social commentary hard to follow.