Introduction:
Southern Literary Review is pleased to present this three-way exchange about Robert Bailey’s newest book, The Boomerang, which is his eleventh novel. Robert joins Editor Donna Meredith and Associate Editor Claire Hamner Matturro in discussing The Boomerang, a political thriller that had Donna and Claire both going “Wow” when they read it. Robert is an attorney in Huntsville, Alabama, and his prior novels were legal thrillers, but with Boomerang he steps into the dangerous, fast-moving world of governmental conspiracy and people who will stop at nothing to achieve their ends, both good and bad.
In the novel, Dale is a mother and a wife desperate to save her daughter, who has terminal cancer. Dale’s husband, Eli, is the president’s chief of staff. Eli gets wind of a rumor that there is a cure for cancer, which for economic reasons the government and Big Pharm are withholding from the public. Dale and Eli set out on a dangerous mission to get access to this cure.
Conversation:
Claire Matturro
Claire Matturro: Dale’s one time lover and close friend, Nester Sanchez, provides essential help to her and Eli. Nester is the largest landowner in New Mexico, one of the wealthiest men in the world, and a man facing multiple criminal charges. Nester “didn’t simply know where the bodies were buried. He did the burying.” But when Dale and Eli are on the run and fighting the full force of the US government to save their daughter, a man like Nester is invaluable. Nester is what I sometimes call a good bad guy. I wonder how his portrayal affected you, Donna, and Bob, where such a complex character came from.
Robert Bailey: Nester was inspired in large part by John Dutton from Yellowstone, as he is a land baron who is more than willing to use “train station” justice if he feels it is necessary to achieve his end result, and he will do whatever is necessary to protect what’s his. However, he also cares deeply about his high school, his state and, of course, the one great love of his life, Dale James, and is driven by the childhood rage of witnessing his parents treated like they were nothing. The inspiration goes further than Dutton, as Nester has some of the ruthless and criminal traits of Michael Corleone, Tony Montana and Tony Soprano. As Claire states, he is your classic good bad guy, and one of my favorite lines in the book is Foncie James’s awestruck comment to him before the confrontation at the Sandia Peak. After seeing the firepower at Nester’s command, Foncie states, “I’m glad you’re on our side, you magnificent bastard.”
As for Donna’s comment about Nester’s one violent act, she is absolutely correct. Nester isn’t guided by the same moral compass as normal humans. I think Governor Florez’s comments about Nester are illuminating. Nester can be awful and morally reprehensible, and yet, he accomplishes many positive things.
Donna Meredith: I found Nester to be mostly likeable. Also, the fact that he came up from poverty and is a self-made man makes him more appealing. And above all, Dale cares for him and he loves Dale—there must be redeeming qualities in him or she wouldn’t have maintained those feelings all these years. Nester has some morals—he could just kill Eli and eliminate his rival for Dale’s love. Instead, he protects him.
The one violent act readers see Nester’s hand in designing is something that I found morally indefensible. Yes, it saved Dale and Eli’s daughter, but innocent people were killed.
CHM: In August 2015, former President Jimmy Carter was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, which had spread to his brain. The initial news stories certainly implied this was terminal. Yet, Carter lived for nearly another decade. Conspiracy theories arose that he had received some top-secret treatment reserved for only those in power or with great riches. This true-life event is used in the book to great effect. How did it impact you and what do you think we can learn from this?
Robert Bailey
RB: My father was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in April 2016. President Carter’s dire diagnosis and miraculous recovery were front and center in our mind, but we were told that Dad wasn’t a candidate for the medication the former President took. Living as long as President Carter did with a stage IV diagnosis is highly unusual, even more so given his advancing age. It felt like he’d been touched by John Coffee’s hand in The Green Mile. When my wife was diagnosed with cancer six months after Dad, my questions and frustration amplified. What I learned during those months is that there is no more anxiety-producing moment than waiting for scan results. During those moments in crowded lobbies while I waited, prayed and even bargained with God for good results, I found myself surrounded by other people going through the same hell. A consistent question I heard was: “Why, after all these years, isn’t there a cure? A lot of those same people answered their own question: “There probably is but the government is hiding it.” The anxiety and desperation I felt combined with those questions were part of the inspiration for The Boomerang.
DM: Mentioning Carter and his miraculous recovery from metastatic brain cancer made the miracle cure in this novel more believable. I remember thinking when I read about Carter’s cancer that it was a death sentence. But it wasn’t. There are those who will say prayer saved him, or that God saved him because he was a good man, but I don’t buy into either argument. Bad things happen to good people all the time, and people still die no matter how many people are praying for them. Nothing wrong with prayer—it is a fervent wish and a natural response when a loved one is threatened. I just don’t think that it prevents death.
Donna Meredith
DM: The situation in the novel is every parent’s nightmare. My child is one true thing I would give my life for. Nothing could be more hurtful than watching my child suffer. I am nauseous every time a St. Jude commercial comes on. I remember the Denzel Washington movie “John Q” that explores the premise of a man’s son who is denied treatment because insurance won’t cover it—and John Q takes the surgeon hostage and demands that his son get treatment. Your novel hooked me the same way that movie did. What motivated you to choose the situation of an ill child as the basis for this novel?
RB: As Donna states, Bella’s terminal diagnosis is every parent’s worst nightmare. I wanted the readers to feel Eli’s desperation. I agree that there are parallels to the situation in the movie “John Q.” The Boomerang is a conspiracy thriller but, at its core, it’s also a family drama that asks one simple question: What would you do to save your child’s life?
CHM: For me, having such a vibrant young person stricken with cancer upped the odds and the pathos. Also, it reflected the recent news stories about how many young people now are being diagnosed with cancer. If it had been Dale or Eli with cancer, the story could still have worked but it just would not have been as powerful as it is. I think Donna’s comments illustrate exactly why having the daughter stricken made this novel all the more gut-wrenching.
DM: Do you see the novel as an indictment of capitalism—at least so far as the healthcare system is concerned? Should medical decisions be made on the basis of money?
RB: I don’t see the story as an indictment of capitalism per se. In The Boomerang, the Department of Defense and, specifically, the fictional top secret Project Boomerang initiative, is the villain and not corporations or private individuals. The government doesn’t trust Big Pharma with the cure for cancer and is terrified of the perceived crippling economic impact that a cure would have on the oncology industry. As such, General Randolph and his team cover up the miracle drug up for “national security” reasons. To answer the second question, I don’t think medical decisions by health care providers should ever be made on the basis of money, but the reality seems to be that financial considerations will always play a role, i.e. whether a drug is covered by insurance oftentimes dictates what medication is prescribed and it sometimes feels like the Wild West when filling prescriptions with all of the various discounts, coupons, etc. that might be available. This “racket” is touched on a little in the story during Eli’s interaction with Jalen Nakai.
CHM: For me, the novel is more an indictment against Big Pharm and greed but of course capitalism and Big Pharm are fueled by greed. I fervently believe that quality medical care should be available to everyone—and I mean everyone—living in this country and not just to the lucky few with good insurance and/or substantial wealth. The cutbacks—current, threatened, and forthcoming — in Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, VA medical benefits, and Medicare frighten me. So, yes, to answer Donna’s question, I believe that medical decisions should not be made on the basis of money, but I am not so naïve as to believe that this is or will be so. Which leads me to my final question.
CHM: For me, this was a profoundly cynical novel. I do not mean that as criticism as we live in cynical times and the novel reflects that with an authentic feeling which makes the story all the more believable. But I wonder if you—Bob—meant it to be so deeply cynical and if you—Donna—found it to also be intensely cynical.
RB: I did not intend for the novel to be cynical, but I could see how readers might draw that conclusion given how the government in my fictional story mishandles and hides the boomerang cure. However, I really think that people would prefer to believe that there is a cure that is being hidden from us than no cure at all. That is just my opinion, but it is informed by a lot of time waiting on scan results. I think The Boomerang offers more hope than cynicism and that optimism comes from one question: Wouldn’t it be so incredibly wonderful if there was a boomerang? Even if only a few got to receive it and even if the government or some other entity was hiding it, at least there would be hope. As Eli remarks after being overwhelmed by the trials at M.D. Anderson, hope is a scarce resource for cancer patients.
DM: Thank you, Bob, for joining Southern Literary Review and sharing your thoughts with its readers. And congratulations on such a fine novel and we wish you all the success in the world with it.
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