New Book titled, Thump by: Avraham Azrieli

Feb. 7, 2014 - PRLog -- Prepare your hearts, ladies and gentlemen, for they're about to thump and buzz with the utmost thrill! Prepare your hearts for... Thump!

Thump - whose real name is T. M. Jefferson - is a young African American man who seems to have it all - looks, a well-paying job, and a loving girlfriend. But things are not always as they seem. Henrietta Kingman, one of his white, much older, bosses, was the one who hired him and took him under her wing, and she sure can be the one to make certain he's fired.  Which is exactly what she sets out to do, once Thump, having vowed to his now-fiancée that he's never touching another woman.  Again, refuses to continue providing for his boss sexually as he has done since day one.  Thump finds himself without a job, without the woman he loves, and stuck in a wheelchair - but, worst of all, without a future or dignity. Can a man whose bad choices led to his downfall find the justice he's so desperate about?

Thump is a book that is most definitely NOT for the faint-hearted. Mr. Azrieli does a great job in showing a balanced yet thrilling example of the racism and the sexual harassment issues that occur in a very realistic work environment. Those two things are harsh enough as it is, but, combined together, they make the book's atmosphere seem that much more intimidating. The feeling gets even stronger since we don't have the classic "young beautiful woman who falls victim".  No, we have a young man in his prime, which shows us that you don't have to be weak in order to be harassed and toyed with from your superiors.  Those emotional shackles - those of guilt, of gratitude, of the false sense of duty to your employer - can be as strong and as repressive as physical ones - if not more.

As realistic as his setting and world-building were, though, there was a certain flaw that the writer seemed to not consider. Thump is a character that, yes, had to put up with certain circumstances in order to reach the top.  But the way he used his sexual prowess was not exactly tasteful.  In fact, I would easily compare it to the way a high school cheerleader who's drunk at the graduation party uses the same act of human affection display: carelessly, and without style.  That would be fine if he didn't suddenly do a 180 so abruptly in the story.  All of a sudden, he's a one-woman's man, and tries his hardest to keep it in his pants.  Awesome…Except that particular course of action was not believable.   A character needs to be steady in personality traits, and changes like this cause a certain whiplash to a reader.  It wasn't hard to understand why all those women he slept with found it impossible that he refused to keep up thumping them.  He had been doing so while being in a relationship with Tiffany, before they were engaged, so what was the problem, right? As Ruth O'Connor herself told Thump's mother:

“When sex goes on for a long time without complaining, it creates an assumption that it’s consensual.”

Still, this didn't take away much of the excitement reading this book provided. While it was my first time reading a story that after a certain part, took place in a courtroom, I found it to be quite satisfactory and thrilling.  Especially when it was O'Connor's turn to ask questions - the woman is a natural in witness evaluation and getting the clues she wants.  If you're looking for a legal thriller with plot twists that can make your head spinning, this is definitely a book you will enjoy!

Overall, Thump was a great read. The legal issues are accurately presented.  My minor caveats aside, I still recommend the book highly and look forward to other titles from Mr. Azrieli.