The Complicities

By: Stacey D'Erasmo

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Award-winning author Stacey D’Erasmo tells a haunting and emotionally affecting story about a woman trying to rebuild her life after her husband’s arrest, and what she knew—or pretended not to know—about where their family’s money came from.

After her husband Alan’s decades of financial fraud are exposed, Suzanne’s wealthy, comfortable life shatters. Alan goes to prison. Suzanne files for divorce, decamps to a barely middle-class Massachusetts beach town, and begins to create a new life and identity. Ignoring a steady stream of calls from Norfolk State Prison, she tries to cleanse herself of all connections to her ex-husband. She tells herself that he, not she, committed the crimes.

Then Alan is released early, and the many people whose lives he ruined demand restitution. But when Suzanne finds herself awestruck at a major whale stranding, she makes an apparently high-minded decision that ripples with devastating effect not only through Alan’s life as he tries to rebuild but also through the lives of Suzanne and Alan’s son, Alan’s new wife, his estranged mother, and, ultimately, Suzanne herself.

When damage is done, who pays? Who loses? Who is responsible?

With biting wisdom, The Complicities examines the ways in which the stories we tell ourselves—that we didn’t know, that we weren’t there, that it wasn’t our fault—are also finally stories of our own deep complicity.

©2022 Stacey D'Erasmo (P)2022 Algonquin Books

Critic reviews

"[A] perfect outing . . . With smooth shifts in perspective and understated and precise prose, D’Erasmo demonstrates a mastery of the craft. The result is propulsive and profound."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"The Complicities had me enthralled. This gripping, human tale of our crimes—financial, environmental, self-delusional—is impossible to put down. D’Erasmo weaves a thriller of a tale, exposing sticky webs of corruption that entangle our lives and fates, even those who fantasize about their innocence, redemption and escape."—Samantha Hunt, author of The Unwritten Book: An Investigation

“The Complicities is a subtle masterpiece. Imagine a voice—lyrical and low, intimate and insistent—whispering in your ear. Half-told truths simmer below the surface, like the uneasy murmuring of a conscience. Mesmerized, you listen. There is menace here in D’Erasmo’s disquieted world, and terrible beauty, too. Things are not what they appear to be. We are not who we think we are, either, and yet we are complicit.”—Ruth Ozeki, author of The Book of Form and Emptiness

Perfect book club novel

What does it mean to be complicit? Who decides who is complicit? Given it’s a complicity of a crime, what does the complicit person owe? Author Stacey D’Erasmo explores complicities in her new novel “The Complicities”. The narrator, Suzanne Flaherty is now divorced from Alan, who defrauded hundreds of people of millions of dollars in a financial crime reminiscent of Bernie Madoff. After Alan was convicted and sent to prison, Suzanne divorces him and begin a new life. Her college-aged son disowns her because he feels she abandoned Alan and him after the financial debacle.

This is a brooding story, and we are left to wonder how accurate Suzanne’s recollections and opinions are. Much of the tale is Suzanne telling the reader that she knew nothing of what was going on. She did enjoy her wealthy lifestyle; all her job was, was to keep house and arrange family vacations. She didn’t worry her pretty little head over where her husband’s earnings came from. It wasn’t her fault.

Suzanne tells us of her new life. She took an online course to become a physical therapists and feels wronged when the authorities tell her she doesn’t have a “real” PT license. We hear all about how the world is against her.

Meanwhile, Alan is released from prison early, due to good behavior. He gets married again to a woman who has her own past with the law. While married, Alan starts a new building company garnering questionable financing. Suzanne also tells us a bit about Lydia, his new wife.

D’Erasmo makes a female trio by adding Alan’s mother, Sylvia. Sylvia was divorced from Alan’s father and required to give up custody of Alan. She moved away, always saying she’d find Alan, without making any effort into finding him.

All the characters in the story are flawed. None are likable. But then, what type of person would bilk people would of their hard-earned cash? What type of person would be attracted to that sort of person?

This would be a fabulous book club read. Alan, is complex; he ends up doing to his family exactly what his father did to him. But he doesn’t see it. Suzanne has no remorse nor any guilt that her life was supported of ill begotten gains. Lydia seems to suspect Alan might not be above board, but she wants to be supported. There’s a strong case to be made that all were complicit in something. But again, how do we determine who is complicit? How can we see into the minds of others? What obligations does a reasonable person have in being aware?

My only niggle was an inclusion of a whale. The whale story took too much time in the story and added little. Yes, there’s a piece where Suzanne feels like she’s paying back the universe because she’s a volunteer, and there’s a questionable donation to the cause. But, I found it to be distracting. Not enough to not recommend it, just to complain…

I listened to the audio, narrated by Xe Sands. She possesses the perfect brooding voice for Suzanne. I highly recommend the audio.

an important question

The Complicities is a book that explores the ideas of fault -- who is complicit and what does that mean, what do they owe to those who wronged or to society. The main character, Suzanne Flaherty, divorced her husband, moved to a new place and changer her name after he went to prison for defrauding hundreds of people, stealing millions of dollars. Their college-aged son disowns her as he thinks that she abandoned his dad, and owed him better loyalty. So she is on her own and trying to create a new life.

As the story unfolds, Suzanne reinforces her story that she didn't know anything about what her husband was doing. And yet, she fully enjoyed the wealth, and didn't seem to have any understanding about where the money came from. Now she works as a Physical Therapist, without a license, and feels affronted when authorities demand she shut down business until she acquires it.

When Alan is released early he remarries and starts a construction business that soon appears to be garnering questionable financing. But is Suzanne's opinion accurate? Is she a reliable narrator? And, there is another angle on Alan explored when we meet his mother who gave up custody of Alan when she divorced his father.

Ever character here is a bit unlikable and seriously flawed, which makes the story more complex and more realistic, in my opinion. It is a melancholy, brooding story about humans and our ability to assign blame, as well as our ability to lie to ourselves.

Dull and could use more editing.

Perhaps reading this book would have made a difference rather than listening to it. Hmmm.

A depressing story

This is a grim tale about terrible people - no comfort to be found anywhere here. Only the minor character of Andy is a decent human, the rest are horrible and deserve what they got. Sadly, their victims didn't deserve what they gave. The whale deserved better, too.