The Subprimes by Karl Taro Greenfield (review)

Karl Taro Greenfield’s The Subprimes begins with a dedication to “the 99%” and a quotation from John Steinbeck’s classic work The Grapes of Wrath, thus suggesting that the novel’s subject will be the battle between the haves and the have-nots of the world—or at least those of the United States. A passage from Steinbeck sets the stage for Greenfield’s novel—with Steinbeck’s poetic prose set into poetic lines:

When a majority of the people are hungry and coldthey will take by force what they need. And the littlescreaming fact that sounds through all the history: repressionworks only to strengthen and knit the repressed.

Although Greenfield deals with the repressed masses, he is no Steinbeck, and this novel is unlikely to endure into the next century because The Subprimes is so rooted in its particular time and place that eventually it will probably be dismissed or overlooked. And that is a shame, for while it is a flawed work, it is an interesting and worthwhile reading experience. In an America that is, unfortunately, quite recognizable, The Subprimes focuses on the journeys of several characters who eventually cross paths. “Subprime,” by the way, is a label affixed to anyone in this near-future society who has a poor credit score. Those who have good scores have greater opportunities for success and the means to buy their way out of trouble—those with bad scores face home fore-closure and a life on the road, hopping from homeless village to homeless village. The main character of the book is a woman named Sargram, who emerges at the novel’s conclusion as a messianic figure in a showdown with the upper 1 percent, represented by a number of antagonists who are caricatures of the right-wing majority. Arthur is a corrupt Wall Street criminal who represents the evils of the financial industry. Pastor Roger personifies the corrupt nature of the church, and the Pepper Sisters are the ultra-rich who control the political agenda—think Koch Brothers. These characters are figures of more general, more abstract villains—unbridled capitalism, religious zealotry, consumerist culture, and even the stereotypical SUV.

Stylistically, Greenfield’s novel involves multiple genres. Sometimes it is a road trip piece and at other times pure fantasy. Some readers and critics may label the ending as pseudo-religious, while others may see it as dystopian, even though it lacks the glamour and hype of more recent novels, such as The Hunger Games. It is also somewhat post-apocalyptic—although that landscape has been dominated over the last fifteen years by various end-of-the-world scenarios and, most prominently, by zombie narratives. Since the book challenges the notion of labeling as one of its key themes, it is fitting that his work is difficult to categorize. The Subprimes refuses to fit into one particular genre, and Greenfield refuses to be trapped by literary definitions or expectations. Much of the book is narrated in the third person, but the perspective of one character, Richie, is in first person. Far from being the most important character in the book, Richie is a marginally successful stoner who admittedly is not much of a father. However, that is precisely Greenfield’s point: everyone matters, regardless of background or credit score.

The Subprimes is focused more on political criticism than establishing characters or plot. Greenfield attacks all that the right wing holds dear: televange-lists, twenty-four-hour news outlets—Fox News especially—and capitalism. He presents conservative viewpoints sarcastically, showing how absurd they are, at least from his point of view. His messiah, Sargram, has prostituted herself just to survive. He extols the virtues of communalism. He brings in an environmental subplot of whales dying that only briefly captures the attention of the masses. Although Greenfield obviously tries to integrate environmental concerns, it all seems like white noise because he does not develop the idea. The narrative, therefore, would be stronger if he focused on story and characterization...