# Good as Gold

By Joseph Heller

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/good-as-gold-6f5172c4/

Bruce Gold teaches English literature and dreams of a political career. An old school friend's White House connection gives him an opening. At home, his father bullies him, his children dismiss him and his marriage offers little reason to stay put.

## What makes it funny?

The White House likes Bruce's language more as it grows emptier, and seems willing to offer him almost any sort of job. His family has the opposite response to his ambitions. His elderly father won't leave for Florida and give up the pleasure of needling his grown children.

### The comedy at work

Washington flatters Bruce while his relatives cut him down. Heller uses the gap to expose a man whose appetite for importance makes political nonsense look attractive.

### Try this if…

Argumentative family comedy for readers who also enjoy political satire about people eager to be taken seriously.

### Good to know

Kirkus found the book nearly plotless and its Washington caricatures broad, while praising the family scenes. There is sadness in the fractured relationships as well as comedy.

## What to expect

- Genre: Contemporary & literary
- On the shelf: Family comedy
- Kind of humor: Satire
- Format: Novel

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Good-as-Gold/Joseph-Heller/9780684839745)
- Review: [Kirkus review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/joseph-heller/good-as-gold)