Customer Reviews

The Policy

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I always wait with bated breath for a new Bentley Little novel. It's not that every book written by this master of horror works perfectly: a few of his stories don't work at all in terms of horror or satire, the two styles usually employed by this author. "The Policy," Little's latest, first crossed my consciousness back in April or May, and I've been waiting for it ever since. Now that I have read this book, it is an easy call to place this story about the evil machinations of the insurance industry squarely into Little's social satire cannon. This is a good thing because I definitely adore this author's jabs at American obsessions. "The Policy" covers territory instantly familiar to readers of "The Store," "The University," and "The Mailman." If you like to laugh until your sides ache, pick up a copy of this book or the other three I just mentioned. "The Policy" is vintage Bentley Little, from the increasingly bizarre occurrences throughout the story to the lackluster conclusion so dominant in this author's work.

"The Policy" centers on the character of Hunt Jackson, a newly divorced man lacking direction in his life. After losing his job at a big defense contractor on the West Coast, he decides to chuck the Southern California lifestyle and return to his childhood hometown of Tucson, Arizona. Hunt quickly reconnects with his grade school buddy Joel, now a professor at the local junior college who lives in town with his wife and daughter Lilly. Before too long, Jackson acquires a new job with the county trimming trees, and soon after this event he meets Beth, a business associate of Joel's wife. Moreover, Hunt makes quick friends with two men on his trimming crew, Edwards and Jorge. The only dark cloud on the horizon consists of a few unpleasant encounters with his insurance company, specifically over a cracked windshield and ransacked house. Hunt tries to put these unfortunate incidents out of his mind, instead wishing to focus on his new relationship and his new friendships. Eventually, Jackson marries Beth and moves into her house.

Jackson's insurance problems quickly escalate into the realm of the weird with the appearance of a strange man promising insurance policies of a most unusual sort. Other companies offer home, auto, and health protections, but this gentleman, working for an enigmatic corporation called "The Insurance Group," sells insurance guaranteeing protection from arrest, from losing one's job, and a life insurance policy with supernatural implications. Moreover, when this guy offers insurance, you better accept it immediately or face horrifying consequences. The Jacksons, and eventually everyone they know, learn the hard way that turning down a new policy from The Insurance Group translates into destroyed property, personal injuries, and the threat of serious prison sentences. Hunt and Beth rapidly begin to wear down under the hard sell tactics of this ominous figure. In order to combat the evil insurance agent, they must travel to an old city in Mexico in order to infiltrate the headquarters of this mysterious group.

The biggest difficulties of "The Policy" echo the problems found in other Bentley Little novels: plot threads that go nowhere and a conclusion that gives lame a new meaning. Several times throughout the story, Little describes in intricate detail that the guest room in Beth's house harbors a ghostly apparition, but this supernatural event never finds a place in the larger story. Another puzzling event involves Hunt's ex-wife Eileen. At one point in the story, Jackson notices his ex getting on a bus in Tucson, an incident that leads to a bit of soul searching on the main character's part. The next thing we know, his ex-wife is dead, killed in a rampage as part of an insurance policy Hunt and Beth bought from the salesman. What does this have to do with anything in the story? Good question. As far as I can tell, the reappearance of Eileen well into the story does nothing to propel the narrative in any meaningful way. Hunt never even meets his wife in Tucson.

The conclusion is more problematic than a few unfinished plot threads. Many of Little's books contain great build up, and then fade into banality in the end. The same problem plagues "The Policy." The final confrontation between the main characters and the evil salesman's company fails to convey even a modicum of interest, and at one point Hunt gets the salesman to do something that is so extraordinarily unbelievable that I snorted aloud. Repeatedly, the characters fighting the insurance company discover answers out of nowhere. Are we really to believe that it's this easy to defeat an evil from time immemorial? Little unquestionably possesses a fine imagination and apt writing skills, but he must work harder on constructing conclusions worthy of his ideas. Future failures in this area could result in a significant loss of his fan base.

Despite a few difficulties with "The Policy," the author still delivers several humorous situations. We've all dealt with smarmy insurance salesman and the rip offs associated with filing claims, but the people in this story face insurance problems firmly entrenched in the regions of the supernatural. Imagine discovering that an insurance company switched all of your household items with artwork depicting lewd imagery, numerous copies of Debbie Boone's "You Light Up My Life," and grossly inappropriate furniture. Moreover, imagine an insurance agent performing a physical exam on your pregnant wife, or having your real teeth replaced with solid silver plugs. At the very least, remember to look for these words for a good laugh: "the fall of Rome" and "nonpayment." If you cannot see the humorous implications of these situations, you probably ought to stay away from "The Policy."

What is the scariest thing a horror author can conjure out of his imagination? A vicious extraterrestrial monster, a vengeful phantom, the boogeyman under the bed? According to Bentley Little, it is an insurance agent! However, this insurance agent doesn't just bother people with a few phone calls or glossy brochures. He also strongly suggests to his clients that if they turn down his policies, some ghastly events will occur, helped along by a group of supernatural insurance company enforcers. The characters in "The Policy" are caught up with just such an insurance agent, forced to take more and more insurance coverage until they are faced with making the most Faustian of contracts to stay secure. Eventually, overinsured Hunt Jackson and his friends have had enough, and they set out to destroy the insurance company.

As with other Little novels, this one takes an ordinary organization and turns it into all-powerful and horrific evil. But this story is more outrageous than the rest, to the point where it has more than one foot into spoof territory. The author does build up a lot of suspense, although it is interspersed with off-the-wall insurance claim handling and policy fine print. I would have given the book 4 stars were it not for the ending, which was silly and surreal. All in all, though, this was an entertaining read.

I am an avid Little fan and I love the way he can take an everyday, ordinary fact or occurance and turn it into a true work of horror. My favorite novel by Little is The Association, it just doesn't get any better than that. I believe it is his best work to date. With that in mind, I awaited the arrival of The Policy with bated breath and couldn't wait to tear into the pages. I was only mildly let down.

While the story is not as powerful as The Association, it didn't end quite as silly either. This book is about a group of people and how their lives are affected by the horrors of insurance salesmen, and what happens when certain types of insurance is declined or bought.

This was a really fun read. There was so much satire mixed in with the horror. One minute I was laughing and nodding my head, thinking to myself how many times I have been suckered into more and more "protection", the next minute I was riveted to my seat cheering for a character in the book to not open the door or go outside.

It is hard to talk much about this book without giving too much of the story away, but this book is certainly worth your time. Of course, the book would have been much shorter if the characters would have been offered insurance against insurance agents, but maybe that is another story for another time. Buy this book, you won't regret it.

All Hunt wants in life right now is a fresh start. His divorce is once and for all final and the idea of leaving California and returning to Arizona where he grew up seems wildly appealing. With no real ties left In California, Hunt decides moving to Tucson is just the thing he needs to shake things up a bit. Once he gets there however, things are a bit more "exciting" than he'd imagined. At first, the move goes smoothly. He finds a place to live, reconnects with old friends, meets a new woman... but little by little the bizarre begins to creep into his life in ways that he never imagined....and all of it begins with a phone call to his insurance company and a personal visit from his very own agent.

The Policy was my very first taste of Bentley Little and I absolutely loved it. I had no idea where the book would go and I was so glued to it turning page after page just dying to see what in the heck would befall these poor people next. I thought this story was fantastically entertaining and would recommend it in a flash.

While this one does not quite match "The Association" or "The Collection", it does come pretty close.
Some reviewers whine that the story is not believable, well, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT!? Don't you read the back before you buy, or at least some excerpts? Bentley Little novels are exaggerated, and poke fun at many institutions that we take for granted like the POstal Service, INsurance Companies, Corporate America, Homeowner Associations, etc.

To be sure, the story does have some flaws. I didn't understand what was up with the haunted guestroom, and I can't believe that they never consider calling in the FEDS on this company, but, this is Bentley Little, and his world is twisted, reality is bended...he takes you on a wild ride.
There is one scene that nearly made me puke, involving a baby being delivered by a doctor in a cherub mask...you'll know what I mean once you get there...brace yourself!
The "good guy" characters, as usual are just your average joes, the villian(s) really stand out, I thought Little's wicked gung-ho insurance agent was freaky.
This one is worth checking out by all horror fans who have a sense of humor.

As someone who is having a heck of a hard time keeping up with insurance payments--house, car, health, life, etc...this book really brought out the paranoid delusional in me! I've followed Bentley Little for years and he's one of my favorites, but this book scares me. Insurance is what makes our world go around, and if you can't pay up, you pay the price! Super scary!

Exactly what I expected from one of today's finest horror novelists. Well written characters, bizarre situations, and a real sense of menace is what Bentley Little is all about. I recommend this book to newcomers as a good example of Little's style... setting an innocent family up against a seemingly unpenetrable force of evil. "The Policy" is totally entertaining and you'll find it hard to put down. If you enjoyed this book, "The Association" and "The Store" have very similar concepts. Every year around Halloween Bentley puts out a new book, so keep your eyes open for the next!

I had a hard time deciding what to rate this novel. I loved "The Store," by Bentley Little. In that book, a Wallmart-style store takes over a small Arizona town. Pretty soon the town has a private police force and adult sexual products are being sold on the toy aisle.

"The Policy" does the same thing with insurance, creating a demon insurance company that sells policies for every imaginable contingency. "Employment Insurance" against being fired or cut back? No problem. Your boss might die in an accident, but you'll keep your job.

Bentley Little creates characters that you care about, and that keeps you turning pages. The main character has just gotten a divorce and leaves the rat-race of Los Angeles for his hometown of Tuscon, Arizona. Trying to save money, he moves into a house in the lower part of town, and soon somebody throws a rock through his car window. Then an insurance agent shows up selling protection.

I won't tell the whole plot, but the man meets the love of his life. The couple and their friends buy various evil insurance policies.

Now for my criticism of Bentley Little. He has a great plot, but he goes too far--way over the top with the incidences (he has a baby castrated by an evil doctor because the couple didn't buy maternity insurance). This incident and a few others could have been edited out. They really don't add anything to the story, or make it more scary. They actually distract from the plot involving an evil insurance company.

Also, Little made the company into a vast ancient organization. The story would have been better had the demons just appeared in the town. I had the same complaint about "The Store." Rather than being a national chain, the store should have been confined to the town.

What you're reading in "The Store" and in "The Policy" is an outrageous--and true--farce and satire against WallMart and the insurance industry. Mr. Little makes a powerful case for universal health care, and I already believed that health insurance companies are criminal enterprises. We need to stop their war against the middle class, and I hope and pray that Obama does something about it.

I commented on the health-care issue because that very issue is part of Mr. Little's story.

So, I would just sit back and enjoy the novel. Parts of it are outrageous, but put those out of your mind. It's an entertaining read.

Of the three Bentley Little novels that I have read, I would rank them as follows: "Dispatch" (I loved it. A boy starts getting free coupons by writing complaint letters to various companies), "The Store," and "The Policy."

Will I read some others? Yes.

Little's work is extremely formulaic - he takes something innocuous (like insurance) and creates an unbelievably creepy story. There is no realism in Little's work - but then again, it IS fiction, so we shouldn't be overly surprised at that. His work is formulaic, but it works so well. The policy is probably one of Little's more disturbing stories.

i found this book to be very entertaining. it reminds me of television show, "tales from the crypt" which used to air in early to mid ninties.

if you enjoyed shows like that or the, "twilight zone" youll enjoy this book.