Good Guys

Cliches and the pursuit of purity. Good Guys presents a tired evisceration of a western vision of charity gone wrong. The novel outlines the evolution and action of an NGO dedicated to assist children lead full lives as they live with illness and poverty.

Children of the World is the name chosen for a well meaning and at times uninformed organization active in developing countries. The founder, Crispin St. Onge is a former rock star dedicated to doing good. His efforts become twisted and while good is done there are acts that amount to human trafficking on a significant scale.

The novel could have been a tale of wisdom and highlighted shortcomings. However, it quickly dissolves into a hate screed on the evils of the west and corporate greed. Journalists and communication officers (spin doctors) are displayed as caricatures that are shallow and uninteresting. There is the tired trope of the world-weary corporate woman knowing that her work with Children of the World is stained. What to do with her anxiety? She falls for a local aid worker, yes, a swarthy Latin and dives into a passionate affair. The sex scene is embarrassingly sophomoric. (Author Bala is naïve here and in many other pairings in this novel!)

The writing is clumsy, filled with enough white privileged guilt to fill fifteen podcasts. I object strongly to this hatchet job on the nonprofit sector that does incredible work around the world. Yes, there are flaws however this tar and feather approach in fiction is not helpful when need is so keenly felt in so many places.

There is little to redeem this novel. At best it gets two stars from me.