Gerald Fedden
A Conservative MP whose public morality and private conduct collide.
Political advancement, status, admiration, and control over the story others tell about him.
The book
Who they are in the book
Spoiler-freeGerald is Rachel’s husband, Toby and Catherine’s father, and an ambitious Conservative MP.
He welcomes Nick when Nick is useful to the household.
His affair and financial dealings expose the entitlement beneath his public confidence.
How the book draws them
- AmbitiousHe treats politics as a route to proximity with Thatcher.
- CharmingHis confidence helps make the Fedden world attractive.
- UnfaithfulHe hides an affair with Penny Kent.
- Financially compromisedHis dealings help trigger public scandal.
- HypocriticalHe condemns Nick while minimizing his own behavior.
- Protective of statusHe sacrifices loyalty to preserve his public story.
His affair and financial conduct become public.
He turns Nick into a symbol of corruption and forces him out.
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