Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 9:00AM 
Published by Viking on July 26, 2011
Some books unfold at a leisurely pace and demand to be read in the same way -- nibbled and savored, the better to prolong the pleasure. Rules of Civility is one of those. It's a throwback novel, the kind in which unashamedly bright characters engage in impossibly witty conversations. The novel takes its name from the 110 rules that George Washington crafted during his teenage years. Katey Kontent eventually sees Washington's rules not as "a series of moral aspirations" but as "a primer on social advancement." They are the rules that shape a masquerade in the hope "that they will enhance one's chances at a happy ending." Ultimately Rules of Civility asks a serious question about Katey's observation: Are the behavioral rules that define "civility" simply a mask that people wear to conceal their true natures? Or are the rules themselves important, and the motivation for following them irrelevant?
The story begins in 1966 but quickly turns back to 1938, the most eventful year in Katey's life. Katey and her friend Eve meet Tinker Grey, a charming young banker, at a jazz club on New Year's Eve. Their blossoming three-way friendship takes an unexpected turn when Eve is injured in an accident while Tinker is driving. Tinker's apparent preference for Katey shifts to Eve as she recuperates. Months later, something happens to cause a change in their relationship, giving Tinker a more important role in Katey's life. Along the way, Katey's career is leaping forward: from reliable member of a law firm's secretarial pool to secretary at a staid publishing house to gofer and then editorial assistant at a trendy magazine. As Katey socializes with the well-to-do and the up-and-coming, she learns surprising secrets about the people in her life, including Tinker, and learns some things about herself, as well.
Katey is an outsider socializing with a privileged group of people (white, wealthy, and sophisticated), but she remains the grounded daughter of a working class Russian immigrant. She treasures her female friends. She neither hides nor flaunts her intelligence. She makes choices "with purpose and inspiration" although she comes to wonder about them in later years. Like most people who use their minds, she's filled with contradictions. Reading Walden, she values simplicity; she fears losing "the ability to take pleasure in the mundane -- in the cigarette on the stoop or the gingersnap in the bath." At the same time, she enjoys fine dining and dressing well: "For what was civilization but the intellect's ascendancy out of the doldrums of necessity (shelter, sustenance, and survival) into the ether of the finely superfluous (poetry, handbags, and haute cuisine)?"
To varying degrees, the characters in this novel make mistakes (who doesn't?). As one character notes, "at any given moment we're all seeking someone's forgiveness." But when should forgiveness be granted? When does love require forgiveness? Towles avoids simplistic answers to these difficult questions; this isn't a melodrama in which characters ride out tragedies to arrive at a neat and happy ending. Ultimately, this is a nuanced novel that remains cautiously optimistic about life, crafted by a generous writer who sees the good in people who have trouble seeing it in themselves, a writer who believes people have the capacity for change.
Rules of Civility offers up occasional treats for readers in the form of brief passages from the books the characters are reading, snippets from Hemingway and Thoreau and Woolf, an ongoing description of an Agatha Christie novel. When Towles introduces a book editor as a character in the novel's second act, it seems clear that Towles shares the editor's old-fashioned respect for "plot and substance and the judicious use of the semicolon." Towles captures the essence of minor characters with a few carefully chosen words. In the same precise and evocative style he recreates 1938 Manhattan: neighborhoods, restaurants, fashions, and music. He writes in a distinctive voice, refined but street-smart, tailored to the era in which the novel is set. His dialog is sharp and sassy. The ending has a satisfying symmetry. If I could find something critical to say about this novel, I would, but I can't.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Reader Comments (3)
There were exactly two selections listed in the side panel of books you reviewed that were rated “highly recommended”. I read both. In my opinion, however, I would not have rated Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles that highly. This was a book based almost entirely on character development for its success, albeit, the backdrop of NYC in 1939 was an important ingredient. The characters were “twenty-something” young adults prone to all the disillusionment spawned in youth. The author did a reasonable job of portraying this and giving a reasonable description of places and events in NYC. But some of the relationships had me scratching my head. I had a problem with Eve’s relationship with her parents (father). It was never quite clear why they were forsaken; the transformation of Henry Grey from paranoid artist to military sergeant seemed completely out of character; and how did Katey end up with Val? Who was Val in this story anyway?
As to the writing style, it was conversational and well done. I did not like the extended hyphen to denote a conversation. It felt like a finger was being poked in my eye. I got over it, but it was initially annoying.
Overall, there was nothing about this book that beckoned to me to keep reading. If I had put the book down, I might not have picked it up again. There were no characters that I was endeared to. In my own categories this book rated a “pleasurable-not memorable”; as it just stumbled over the horizon it never quite made it as a rising star.
Thank you for your comments, Gary. I view the novel as focusing on one eventful year in Katey's life, her memory of which is triggered by the photographs of Tinker that she sees in 1966. Because Val wasn't an important part of her life then (he gave her a ride in 1938 but they didn't get to know each other until about a decade later), I think it makes sense that the novel doesn't tell us the story of Katey and Val. I agree we don't get much detail about Henry's transformation (it's the sort of detail Katey wouldn't have) but it seems reasonable that military service would give Henry a more grounded, responsible life than he had as an artist. I agree with you, though, that we could have learned more about Katey's relationship with her father. Anyway, I'm sorry you didn't like the novel as much as I did.
There should be 22 "highly recommended" books showing up when you click the link on the right side of the page. I don't know why you only saw two. Maybe your browser was slow to load the rest of them, or got hung up in the process. Unfortunately, I'm not a computer whiz so I don't know what to suggest other than to try again. One of the 22 I think you might particularly enjoy is Doc by Mary Russell.
Just a post follow-up on the "highly recommended": I may have misled you somewhat here. I understand that you have a specific link to the selections that you rated highly.....I was only referencing the immediate listing of book reviews that appear on the right side of the panel.Within this group there were only two, otherwise I understand that you have many more. Oh yes, please be assured that I intend to read them also.
As usual your reply to my discomfort with "Rules of Civility" was to the point. Perhaps I shall reread it again in the future to see if my opinion has changed.
My Regards,