An Insightful Exploration of Global and Corporate Affairs
Finding Alexey is Fazle Chowdhury’s fifth novel. He gives his protagonist, Sofia Tresca, the ammunition to do as she wants but holds her back through a powerful force of her own memory, which constantly reminds her of a time when all was not fine.
As the story unfolds, it is exceedingly difficult to map such circumstances in Chowdhury’s own life, often seen in his earlier fictional works consisting of tragedy, loss, and love, with the element of rain always present. The son of accomplished parents, a childhood between Asia and Europe, with an American education, the experience of foreign policy and betrayals against a background of violence is always present in his non-fiction and fiction.
In this novel, however, Chowdhury’s protagonist, Sofia Tresca, a wealthy hedge fund magnate, is a complex character who embodies the archetype of a successful businesswoman with a dark side. On the surface, she is a pillar of success in managing a thriving firm, but beneath lies an inherent struggle. Tresca’s character is driven by ambition and relentless pursuit, but her actions lead her into a precarious situation where she is tested as she navigates through a series of challenges, revealing the high price of her relentless drive to acquire what may her legacy and securing her daughter’s future.
The novel begins in what feels like New York (it is never said as such) in 2018. Tresca is in the process of acquiring Petro Anchor, an international oil company. While her firm, Aurelius Group, appears to have a healthy balance sheet, there are large hidden debts. So secretive are the firm’s operations that not even Brett Walsh, the CFO and the half-brother of her daughter Grier, knows. Like Tresca, he is a former attorney, a ruthless strategist, and a formidable deal maker, yet he does not suspect Tresca.
There is another problem. The murder of an auditor who had prior knowledge of Tresca’s firm’s financial records and nearly derailed her plans has prompted the police to investigate her. Meanwhile, there is a detective familiar with Tresca from an unresolved case from the past involving the same man who lives in her thoughts. If that isn’t enough, her daughter Grier, visiting from the Sorbonne, becomes a target.
Discover the captivating world of Chowdhury, whose storytelling prowess delves deep into the murky world of the wealthy and their deep desire to do the impossible. His context is rich with absorbing moral tangles, painting a vivid picture of how the morally absent grapple, a compelling lens into these complex dynamics, making his novel a must-read for those interested in understanding the nuanced realities of those who want to save but need to be saved themselves. This is where Finding Alexey, at times, reads more like a tale of strategists masquerading in literature.
No doubt, the composition of this novel does not overshadow Chowdhury’s ability to engage and provoke, making the reader seriously engaged. His works are ruthlessly provocative, offering readers an insight into a world where everyone is important and, at the same time, disposable. There is a voice Chowdhury has that is tantalizingly rhythmic, a kind that ignites the horror of horrors, and also a soothing but timed melody that fascinates. The characters are complicated; Rafi Omer is Tresca’s right arm. Brett Walsh is Tresca’s young Knight. Grier, Tresca’s prized jewel, and then there is Alexey. Chowdhury keeps these characters distant enough but close in their hearts to what Tresca means to them. They illuminate the blend between ruthlessness and humility, triumph and tragedy, and emotions of past and present.
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