Monkey Business by Carleton Eastlake
In Carleton Eastlake’s provocative and sharply written Monkey Business (Red Hen Press), William Fox is caught somewhere in between that civil war — as a writer immersed in the corporate, political and social minutiae that defines the entertainment industry and, in this case, the TV series for which he writes, and for the animal-like attraction, obsession and love he possesses for an erotic dancer.
Fox seems to walk the walk as he is called on location for the production of his show, which features a crime family and a Harvard Law grad son (is the name Mitchel Leone mere coincidence!) dragged into the family’s business. When the two producers Eric and Phil take Fox out to a gentleman’s club, for which his enthusiasm is tepid, he is entranced by one of the strippers, who seems more than just a pretty face. He has “quality time” with her, both paid for by his bosses and extending beyond. Henceforth, Nicole dominates his thoughts and he believes he is falling in love, trying desperately to get into her heart, her soul, and separate reality from fiction with this clearly learned woman.
THOUGHT-PROVOKING FICTION INSPIRED BY AN ILLUMINATING NIGHT
Eastlake is a master of psychology and personality study, bringing readers deep inside Fox, an intelligent man with flaws, driving to come to terms with his own emotions and actions. The writing, as much as advancing the plot, goes deep into William’s head, fueled in many instances by the sophisticated dialogue between the stripper and the writer. He even laments Nicole’s warning, “A man can’t love a naked woman he’s never seen clothed. Heavens no!”
Yet Nicole challenges him, giving him three ambitious books to read designed to enlighten on several counts, helping to sort out his own feelings and figure out this unusual woman and who she really is.
The author explains that while the work is indeed fiction, it is based on a real-life Florida business trip in which he was “whisked away” to a gentleman’s club. Passing on the typical product offerings, he was able to chat with a variety of workers and dancers about their life, their work and their dreams. It made an awkward night “so human and illuminating [and] inspired my search for the concept of Nicole.”
In the books Nicole provides William, he observes from them that “love isn’t blind … rather it finds in every flaw an infinite grace. I was passing from one stage of enchantment to the next.”
Eastlake has written a very intelligent, thought-provoking, mind-engaging work as his protagonist wrestles with feelings that conflict with the generally accepted norm. How will it turn out? One can only imagine what surprises are in store.
About Carleton Eastlake:
Carleton Eastlake began his career in creative writing while an undergraduate at UCLA when he served as a staff writer for a California Assemblyman’s campaign. After a career in public policy and consumer protection law including work at NASA, the Federal Trade Commission, and in private practice, he broke into Hollywood as a writer of science fiction, crime, and espionage dramas. Being hired as a producer on Steven Spielberg’s series seaQuest confirmed him as a science fiction writer-producer. He has shared in an Edgar Award and Saturn Award. His wife Loraine Despres is a best-selling novelist, television writer, and tree-farmer. They live in California. Check out his website at carletoneastlake.com.
