Radicals: A Novel

An intimate, suspenseful, and provocative portrait of friendship and love at its limits, and a timely exploration of class tensions and corporate excess in America

When Eli first meets Sam Westergard, he is dazzled by his new friend’s charisma, energy, and determined passion. Both graduate students in New York City, the two young men bond over their idealism, their love of poetry, and their commitment to socialism, both in theory and practice-this last taking the form of an organized protest against Soline, a giant energy company that has speculated away the jobs and savings of thousands. As an Occupy-like group begins to coalesce around him, Eli realizes that some of his fellow intellectuals are more deeply-and dangerously-devoted to the cause than others. One such true believer is Alex, Eli’s ex-girlfriend and eventually Sam’s lover, who pushes the group toward a more active posture, complicating Sam and Eli’s friendship as well as Eli’s relationship with his fiance Jen, a musician who is more and more skeptical of the group’s radicalism. When Sam and Eli begin to pursue the ex-CEO of Soline personally, what was once a mere academic debate becomes violently real.

A fiercely intelligent, wonderfully human illustration of friendship, empathy, and suspicion in the midst of political upheaval, Ryan McIlvain’s new novel confirms him as one of the most talented and distinctive writers at work today.