Possibly my all-time favourite read. The film is great too. Okay, so I have personal reasons for loving it so much, I used to work in politics, but what can I say, I love this book!

This novel was written over 20 years ago and politics have changed considerably in the face of social media. But then again, politics haven't changed. There will always be past sins coming out of the woodwork, voters now just have faster access to them. Opinions are lasting, and they're created in one moment. Primary Colors is a predecessor to shows like House of Cards and VEEP, with less laughs and less murder. It's a pretty dense novel but it moves quickly. It's pretty easy to pick up the personality of the Clinton's throughout the book; Bill's casual authenticity and Hilary's no-nonsense approach.

I do wonder why a white author made the narration from the perspective of a biracial black man dealing with racial issues. It felt a bit "token". Is this a perspective that speaks the truth to biracial readers? In his afterword, the author is taken aback that critics called him racist, as he puts it: "Hey, weren't my two heroes, Henry and Libby, respectively black and lesbian?" When Jodi Picoult wrote about issues facing black women she came with the approach, "I understand this is not my perspective but I believe this is a story that needs to be told." Joe Klein doesn't seem that have that same sentiment.

I'd also like to point out that 1998's film adaptation of Primary Colors was my first Rated R film I ever viewed which is the main reason I picked it up at the library. I have no recollection of the film except they swore A LOT.

There are a few poignant quotes that resonated with me..."And that's what this is all about. The opportunity to do that, to make the most of it, to do it the right way - because you know as well as I do there are plenty of people in this game who never think about the folks, much less their 'better angels'. They just want to win. They want to be able to say, 'I won the biggest thing you can win.' And they're willing to sell their souls, crawl through sewers, lie to the people, divide them, play to their worst fears-"

There sure are plenty of those people in power Jack...there sure are.

Not exactly the book I was expecting, though that's not a complaint. It was odd, a bit distant and disjointed, characterizations made through dialog affectations rather than anything deeper, but then perhaps for many people there isn't anything deeper. The narrator, Henry, never becomes more than a vehicle for plot, which is a shame.