You’d think a book that satirizes the OJ Simpson trial, the Monica Lewinsky scandal and people’s hatred for Hilary Clinton would seem a tad dated in 2002. To that, I can only say this: trust Christopher Buckley. He knows what he’s doing.
While No Way to Treat a First Lady might seem like those things, it is also a whole lot more — a pretty dead-on indictment (so to speak) of DC, “media circus” trials and the true power of attorneys in modern culture. All in all, like his previous novels (Little Green Men, The White House Mess and my favorite, Thank You for Smoking), the author creates a witty and entertaining narrative from a fairly sophisticated understanding of politics and popular culture.
Anyone can write political satire (one assumes) — but to write something worthy of consumption by the elite and the masses alike takes real talent. Thankfully, Christopher Buckley seems capable as ever of using said talent to benefit us all (and probably make himself extremely rich in the process). Finally, I think it’s relevant to point out that No Way to Treat a First Lady is the first book since… well, since a long time before it, to put me into “ignore everything, must finish book” mode. And for this easily distracted reader, that’s really saying something.