Club Rules

by: Andrew Trees

Published by: St. Martin's Press

Reviewed by Beth Cummings

Club Rules is a dark examination of the lives of the very wealthy in an exclusive enclave known as Eden's Glen. The Preston Winthrop III family owns a large estate, Winthrop Hall, in this small suburban community. Preston is the CEO and chief shareholder in the Winthrop Trust Bank, an expanding local institution. He, his wife Anne and their teenage son, Baird, seem to live the idyllic life - the best parties, the best dressed, and top members of the local Country Club.

Andrew Trees does not allow this "ultra-classy" family group to live happily in their situation. Neither the Winthrop's nor their friends are able to be satisfied with what they have. Many of their closest acquaintances are beset with jealousy and it takes very little to turn them into enemies rather than friends. The ex-wife of the club golf pro turns into the catalyst that sends the family into a tailspin. The main part of the book is devoted to the ways that they deal with their issues.

The characters in the book a quite well crafted, although most are not particularly likeable. They are prone to backbiting and slander as well as mean -spirited teasing, ridicule and adultery. The unwritten rules of Eden's Glen allow its residents to act in ways that would never be tolerated in less upscale surroundings.

I found the book a bit pretentious. The wealthy inhabitants of Eden's Glen didn't have many redeeming qualities - thus lacked realism. The plot has an unfortunate predictability so that reading was mainly to see how they will get there rather than wondering what will happen.

For some readers the language and sexuality might be too coarse and graphic. I wouldn't put the book on my list of favorites.