Big Guns

Israel’s second novel (following The War on Morris) is a wonderfully irreverent satire about the fractured and fractious American political and lobbying system, skewering gun nuts, politicians, and lobbyists to the left, the right, Republicans, Democrats, and everyone in between. This clever political farce exposes the extremism of the gun rights issue, both pro and con, with a smart plot, loud, noisy characters, and hilarious dialogue. When Chicago’s mayor demands a federal ban on handguns and other major cities join in, the smarmy CEO of Cogsworth International Arms, Otis Cogsworth, and his lobbyist shark, Sunny McCarthy, fight back with a campaign to pass a federal law requiring all American adults to own a handgun. The battleground will be in Congress and in the small Long Island town of Asabogue, where Otis lives, as the town’s feisty pro-ban mayor faces a fierce election against an aging, Otis-backed pro-gun action-movie star. Asabogue, as the symbolic epicenter of this national debate, is flooded with media wonks, simpering politicians, unruly militias, inept urban terrorists, amoral spin doctors, and snarky lobbyists for and against. Shameless greed and overwrought egos drive everyone, with Israel nailing the D.C. scene and national political hubris perfectly: empty suits with heads to match. It’s a rollicking comedic trip. Agent: David Kuhn, Aevitas Creative. (Apr.)