In ‘The Vegan,’ a refreshing hedge-fund protagonist

“The Vegan”, a new book by Andrew Lipstein, features a compelling hedge-fund manager protagonist, Herschel Caine, who decides to stop consuming animals after a traumatic event.

Background: Lipstein’s book is considered fresh and inventive due to overhauling the stereotype of a hedge-fund manager as uninteresting or villainous.
* The protagonist, Herschel Caine is trying to balance his young firm, a personal renovation, and social networking with upscale neighbors.

Plot Twist: An unfortunate event involving a guest named Birdie serves as the catalyst for Caine’s sudden aversion to consuming animals.
* Caine starts to spiral as he juggles his successful yet crumbling firm and obsesses over two lizards he purchases instead of focusing on his firm and family.

Style and Literary Feat: Lipstein manages to describe the financial world and its machinations in clear and immediate language.
* The descriptions of the wealth generated are appealing yet lurid.
* The book’s language fluctuates between first and third-person perspective based on Caine’s mental state.
* Lipstein is also praised for the authentic financial notion offered.

The Underlying Theme: The book navigates the concept of relentless human progression and the subsequent departure from nature.
* It emphasises the evolution from animal to human being to machine and the violence necessary for dominance.
* Caine fights to move backward to feel alive, while his work pushes humankind towards a machine-led world.

Final Note: Lipstein invites the reader to reflect on what’s lost in our relentless progression and what sacrifices might be necessary to halt the forward march.
* This is a timely contemplation considering the increasing influence of artificial intelligence and machine learning in various aspects of life.

View original article on NPR

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