Review: The Overton Window by Glenn Beck

Title: The Overton Window
Author: Glenn Beck
Released: June 15, 2010
Publisher: Threshold Editions
Pages/Format: 336 (Hardcover)
Genre: Political Thriller
Source: Public Library

There is a powerful technique called the Overton Window that can shape our lives, our laws, and our future. It works by manipulating public perception so that the ideas previously thought of as radical begin to seem acceptable over time. Move the window and you change the debate. Change the debate and you change the country.

For Noah Gardner, a twentysomething public relations executive, it’s safe to say that political theory is the furthest thing from his mind. Smart, single, handsome, and insulated from the world’s problems by the wealth and power of his father, Noah is far more concerned about the future of his social life than the future of his country. But all of that changes when he meets Molly Ross, a woman who is consumed by the knowledge that the America we know is about to be lost forever. She and her group of patriots have vowed to remember the past and fight for the future –but Noah, convinced they’re just misguided conspiracy-theorists, isn’t interested in lending his considerable skills to their cause.

And then the world changes. An unprecedented attack on U.S. soil shakes the country to the core and and puts into motion a frightening plan, decades in the making, to transform America and demonize all those who stand in the way. Amidst the chaos, many don’t know the difference between conspiracy theory and conspiracy fact–or, more important, which side to fight for.

One Sentence Review:

In-Depth Review

Beck’s first thriller has strong and weak points which reflect on where his talents as a writer lie. Based on my experience reading this book, I think that storytelling is clearly not his forte. The best things about this book were the long, drawn out political speeches given by some of the characters, and yet their inclusion took away from the more exciting aspects of the book (which were pretty weak in my opinion). Beck writes great nonfiction, and perhaps he could even excel at a different genre of fiction, but his lengthly philosophizing does not fit well in the context of a thriller.

Plot: ☆ ☆

I was fairly disappointed with the weak plot development. If you were to outline the major plot points in the book, it would seem like they’d make for an interesting tale, but that potential wasn’t taken very far and the most climactic parts of the book were simply not expounded very well. Good premise, weak execution.

Characters: ☆ ☆ ☆

Noah and Molly are both unique, interesting, and likable characters, but their development isn’t taken very far. As a result, I suspected that there was a lot more to know about them, but whatever that was I’ll never know because the space I expect would be used to further introduce me to them is instead used for political speeches. Additionally, Danny Bailey and FBI Agent Stuart Kearns, major players in the latter part of the book, are barely developed at all. This was disappointing and though ideology runs deep, the characters feel shallow.

Ending: ☆

Beck has stated that he’ll only write a sequel if The Overton Window is well received. I would argue that The Overton Window will only be well received if Beck promises to write a good sequel, because the ending of this story is an abysmal failure unless there’s going to be more to the story. If this is the final end of Noah and Molly’s political adventure, then it’s a weak end at best.

Writing: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Before I analyze the quality of the writing, it should be noted that Beck hired a team of three professional writers to help him pen this book–one of whom also assisted him with The Christmas Sweater, Glenn’s first work of fiction. I’ve read one other of Beck’s books, Common Sense, and comparing it with The Overton Window I didn’t notice any major difference in voice; they both read like they were written by the same person. That being said, the fact that he hired professional help didn’t win this book any brownie points with me.

On a basic level, the way sentences and paragraphs are constructed and strung together, The Overton Window is very well-written and flows nicely. Broadly speaking, I felt like there was an imbalance between the amount of dialogue, monologue, and narrative. The Overton Window was marketed as a thriller and yet there was nothing exciting about the pages of monologue where characters outlined in painful detail their political views. This is the kind of thing I would expect to read in a nonfiction book, not a supposed action-packed novel. Still, the extensive speech-giving wouldn’t bother me so much if there was enough page space given to the action to offset this. Unfortunately, there is not. The speeches are better than most politicians make, but their dominance of the plot leads me to the conclusion that Beck has much more promise as a nonfiction writer.

Despite these weaknesses, I have to give points for the unique way that fact is seamlessly woven into the fictional setting of the story. Beck has categorized this book as “faction,” a genre that combines real life events and circumstances with a fictional premise, characters, and plot. I’d say that classification fits The Overton Window pretty well. Furthermore, you can check the facts for yourself because there is an entire back section which lists every fact used in the book and the source where the author found it. This is a nice touch and makes the book much more interesting.

Format: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Whoever designed the cover did a great job. The image of the eerily altered statue of liberty (more like a statue of tyranny) which Noah’s father keeps in his office adds some suspense. I was really curious about this book after seeing that!

Other Reviews:

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About Glenn Beck:

Glenn Beck is a nationally syndicated radio and Fox News television show host and the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers including An Inconvenient Book, Glenn Beck’s Common Sense, Arguing with Idiots, The Christmas Sweater. He is also the author of The Real America and publisher of Fusion magazine.