We as a country like rich people. We’re fascinated by them. Whole magazines, TV series, books and movies are devoted to the badness of the idle rich, and somehow, they never get boring. The latest in the vein is The Descendants, the first novel by Hawaiian writer Kaui Hart Hemmings. Set against the lush backdrop of her native state, the book follows resident rich person Matthew King, a royal descendant and one of the largest landowners in the state. Should be happy, yes? Of course not. One daughter, an ex-model, is a recovering drug addict, the other is a smart-ass attention whore, and his wife lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident, unlikely to reawaken. Matt faces the challenge of rallying family and friends to say their bedside goodbyes, except that one man, the most important man, has not been told: the man she was having an affair with, and quite possibly the one man she truly loved. Discovering that man’s existence, the now-estranged husband has to hit the road with his daughters to find this man, and profound personal change and self-actualization remain close at hand throughout.

How about that for a tale of the upper-class woe?

NPR’s Alan Cheuse reviewed the novel, and what that man says matters! Listen to it here, and be sure to check out the little “Novel Ideas” blurb at the bottom of the page.

Exempted from military service, violinist Gottfried Keller spent the waning days of World War II playing for wounded soldiers, a task he felt was demoralizing and a misuse of his talents. He dared not complain, though, and was rewarded with a trip to nearby labor camp. After meeting briefly with the commander of the camp, Keller begins playing anew, but this time for the inmates, for whom his violin, it is hoped, will inspire hope in otherwise despondent men. As Keller plays the greats, the author Eugene Drucker, unravels his character’s life, revealing the death of his best friend and the Jewish fiancé he fled from at the outset of the war.

Drucker is himself a professional violinist, and his mastery of the instrument informs The Savior, his first novel, all throughout. He appeared yesterday on The Diane Rehm Show. Listen to the full interview.