The First Gentleman
61 pages • 2-hour read
Bill Clinton, James PattersonThe First Gentleman
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Themes
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of rape, graphic violence, and death.
The Corruptive Power of Jealousy, Resentment, and Insecurity
Like their real-life counterparts, Cole and President Wright hold positions of power and influence, and their success engenders jealousy in a variety of people in their lives who serve as antagonists across the novel—Tony, Pearce, and Rachel. Each antagonist allows these feelings of jealousy and resentment to fuel their insecurity, pushing them to commit a series of crimes in an attempt to frame Cole for murder, destroy his reputation, sabotage President Wright’s political career, and reinforce their own sense of power and control.
As a character, Cole embodies a privileged archetype: a wealthy, white man who has achieved personal and professional success and is in a loving marriage to a powerful political leader. Through flashbacks and reflections from various characters, the authors emphasize Cole as the target of jealousy and resentment when he was in college. He was a “star player” at Dartmouth and, as Pearce notes, “stars generate heat. And heat generates jealousy” (154). No one was more jealous of Cole than Pearce, who was “head over heels in love with Maddy Parson” (413). Pearce’s jealousy of Cole pushes him to cross moral lines, spreading the rumor that Cole had raped a girl at a homecoming party. His resentment and anger escalate over time until he eventually colludes with Tony to frame Cole for murder. Tony, whom Brea characterizes as having a “vendetta against Cole,” agrees to the plan out of jealousy, viewing Cole as a romantic rival.
Like Cole, President Wright’s success earns her many enemies as a result of jealousy and resentment. Pearce suggests that it is due to her gender because “there’s a large slice of the American public that just can’t stomach having a woman in the Oval Office” (155). Despite this acknowledgement, Pearce himself allows his insecurities to corrupt his decades-long friendship and working relationship with the president to become Faulkner’s chief of staff and advance his own political future. The vice president’s chief of staff, Rachel, attempts to bring down the Wright administration because she “harbor[s] some lingering resentment” toward the president because she feels Vice President Faulkner was cheated out of the presidency. As a result, Rachel forms a “cabal” working behind the scenes to bring President Wright down through a series of critical blog posts.
Ultimately, the novel delivers poetic justice to those motivated by jealousy and resentment to damage Cole and President Wright’s reputations and political power. All of the antagonists, Tony Romero, Burton Pearce, and Rachel Bernstein, face consequences for their actions, while President Wright passes her landmark legislation and sails into a second term in office.
Relationships as a Source of Support and Strength
Throughout the novel, both protagonists—Cole and Brea—draw strength and support from their relationships when facing difficult circumstances. The authors draw connections throughout the narrative between Cole’s marriage to President Wright and Brea’s relationship with Garrett, underscoring the importance of supportive, romantic partnerships when in pursuit of both personal and professional success. The two couples are closely aligned, even though they are initially acting in opposition. Their relationships, though different, are key to their success.
Cole and President Wright have a complex relationship borne of living life in the public spotlight. Throughout the story, Cole remains fully dedicated to supporting his wife’s political career—he’s always willing to go where he needs to when she asks. For instance, when the “party leader for the opposition” expresses willingness to support President Wright’s Grand Bargain legislation, President Wright asks Cole to help bring him over to their side by giving an “inspirational talk” to the senator’s grandson’s losing football team. He readily agrees. Their support for one another is mutual. When Cole is arrested on suspicion of murder, President Wright is both publicly and privately supportive of him. She puts her political reputation on the line by stating from the courthouse steps that she has “full faith and confidence in [her] husband’s innocence” (12). She reinforces this message by kissing him on the cheek in front of the cameras. Privately, she watches the court case closely and contacts him daily about its progress, indicating that her concern isn’t a public performance, but rather a deep and loving commitment to the person with whom she’s built a life. These daily phone calls are important for keeping Cole’s spirits up during the ordeal. The importance of their relationship is highlighted in the final lines of the novel when they tell each other “I love you” after President Wright takes the oath of office for the second time. She tells him, “they ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” reiterating her confidence in their partnership both personally and professionally (466).
Like the Wrights, Brea and Garrett work closely together, and their work is an essential part of their bond. When their investigative project into Cole’s past is greenlit by their editor, Garrett celebrates with a display of physical affection: he “picks [Brea] up and swings [her] around a few times” (24). In the thick of their investigation, they take the time to go to an open mic night where Garrett serenades Brea until “tears are running down [her] cheeks” (72). When Garrett is murdered at the cabin where he and Brea had their first date, Brea’s devastating loss drives her to avenge his death by bringing his killer to justice. After his murder, Garrett is never far from her thoughts, underscoring the strength of their bond even after his death. When the book project is finally finished, she insists that “Garrett’s name comes first on the cover,” proud of what they accomplished together (461).
The Challenges of Pursuing Truth and Justice
The events of The First Gentleman illustrate the difficulty of finding the truth and securing justice for victims within the American justice system. The novel suggests that investigative reporters like Brea and Garrett are essential to the process. Throughout the novel, the authors position police incompetence and corruption as major factors that impede the discovery of the truth. When Suzanne first disappeared, the police did not act efficiently in their investigation. They wasted time with a “jurisdictional dispute” because they could not decide whether it was Seabrook PD or Boston PD who should be in charge of the investigation. As a result, critical time was lost. Later, the files related to her case were lost or intentionally destroyed. Institutional incompetence and negligence also impeded future investigations like that of Detective Gagnon, who was forced to “start[] from scratch” (196). The consequences of this delayed justice were devastating for the family, who waited nearly two decades for legal resolution. As Suzanne’s mother, Felicia, wails, “Where have you been for seventeen years?” (188). Felicia’s question emphasizes the role of Brea and Garrett—two reporters, not law enforcement—in uncovering the truth about Suzanne’s death despite bureaucratic incompetence and corruption.
Once investigators begin digging into Cole’s past and his connection to Suzanne’s murder, they are stymied by false or misleading information provided by witnesses and physical evidence. For instance, Suzanne’s roommate Amber intimates to Brea that she believes Cole is responsible for Suzanne’s murder, hoping to sell her story to the Fox News media circuit, and Brea’s suspicion of Cole grows. Meanwhile, Detective Gagnon finds Cole’s watch at the site of Suzanne’s grave, which leads her to suspect his involvement in the crime despite the fact that it was planted by Pearce to cast suspicion on Cole.
The novel’s climax emphasizes the ways information can be manipulated to create a false narrative, obscuring the truth. Based on the information gathered by Brea and Detective Gagnon, Cole is convicted of the murder of Suzanne, even though he is innocent, further emphasizing the challenges of securing true justice. Without a last-minute windfall of information from an independent researcher, the various conspiracies acting behind the scenes to frame Cole for the murder and bring down the Wright administration would never have come to light, and justice would never have been served. Incorporating the deus ex machina resolution allows the authors to end the novel on a hopeful note.
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