At a small tech startup in the Silicon Valley of the North, fractious love triangles from the past and present converge and ambitions collide ... with alarming consequences.
In 2004, the death of a prominent businessman sets in motion a series of events that weave together the fortunes and fates of four seemingly unrelated people: Xavier, a son who wants to prove to society he has the entrepreneurial Midas touch his family is known for; Richard, an amateur writer questioning his career choices after meeting a captivating woman at a party; Natalie, a resourceful professional seeking a deeper relationship with a reclusive benefactor; and David, a lonely man grasping at a second chance with his first love.
Relationships, careers, and entire family legacies are thrown into jeopardy as secrets are unearthed and rivalries erupt. The Equity of Love is a modern story of poignant love, frustrated desires, regrets, and the pursuit of redemption amidst terrible choices.
Chief among that staff is Richard Earning, whose resonant name and love of Dickens suggests something of LaPierre’s ambitions and approach. After the senior Hardich dies, his offspring Xavier and Augusta become the chief investors in Enigma, and Xavier, taking an interest in the company despite his lack of experience, spends much time with Richard, spouting vagaries about taking Enigma “to the next level.” Richard meets and soon falls for Augusta, a grad student whose progressive sloganeering doesn’t disguise her cynicism. “We’re self-interested,” she confesses, in a discussion of humanity itself. “I see how we all use each other for our own ends.”
Humanist Richard, though, believes in happy endings, but LaPierre is savvier than that, as Richard’s love yields painful dividends. Meanwhile, LaPierre, a Dickens fan himself, spins an intriguing subplot involving the executor of the Hardich estate and the young woman he feels obliged to assist—and to warn away from Xavier. Entertaining despite a protracted length and a tendency toward rumination, The Equity of Love is precise in its characterization, alive with memorable dialogue, animated with moral purpose, and jolting in its revelations and reversals.
Takeaway: Engaging Dickensian novel of an Ontario software company.
Comparable Titles: Susan Rieger’s The Heirs, Sharon English’s Night in the World.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
