How a Novel is Born Among the Superyachts of Monaco

In the summer of 2021, after Covid-19 restrictions eased, the author and his teenage son traveled to Italy. Rome was unusually empty of tourists, allowing them to explore landmarks like the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, and Vatican with few crowds. The author reflected on the contrast between the opulence of the Vatican’s marble halls, silk drapes, and silverware—funded by labor from illiterate workers—and the historical struggles between power and powerlessness, such as the Protestant Reformation and the French Revolution. They also discussed Karl Marx’s ideas about class conflict. Near the harbor casino, they observed superyachts docked or anchored, some extravagant and others bizarre, most appearing empty except for crew members like a man in an officer’s uniform spraying the deck with a hose. This scene inspired the author’s novel, The Red Dress.

In Monaco, the author and his son witnessed a gray-haired man in his 70s, dressed in a track suit, arrive at a casino in a Lamborghini with a much younger woman. The man, described as unimpressive and bored, tossed his keys to a valet before entering the casino with the woman. Behind the casino, superyachts were docked or anchored in the harbor. Some were conventional, gleaming white vessels with black privacy glass, while others were futuristic and unusual, resembling props from a film. Most appeared unused, but a few showed signs of life, such as crew members polishing railings. The author imagined the life of these crew members, particularly a middle-aged man in an officer’s uniform, who became the narrator of The Red Dress. The novel explores the emptiness and extravagance of superyachts, seen as symbols of detached wealth.

The author, a frontline healthcare worker during the Covid-19 pandemic, described the harsh conditions they endured. Personal protective equipment (PPE) like N95 masks, which cost less than a Starbucks latte, were reused for weeks due to shortages. The U.S. government failed to provide adequate PPE, and hospitals operated with understaffed shifts and quiet emergency rooms, reminiscent of war zones. The author felt disposable, comparing their situation to a name on a schedule. They also highlighted the disparity between essential workers, who risked their lives with little protection, and non-essential workers who worked remotely. Many essential workers, such as those in meatpacking plants or hospitals, faced firings for speaking out about unsafe conditions. The pandemic exposed societal divisions, with corporate power prioritizing profits over public health, as seen when Lovelace Health System, a for-profit hospital, closed a wing and laid off nurses during a critical shortage of beds in New Mexico.

The author began writing The Red Dress after returning home from their trip, using fiction to examine the pandemic’s lessons and societal fractures. The novel’s narrator, Nick, is a captain of a superyacht, a well-paid servant of wealth who observes the emptiness and interchangeability of those within the world of superyachts. The author drew inspiration from John Updike’s observation that ‘The essence of the superrich is absence. They like to demonstrate they can afford to be elsewhere.’ The novel explores themes of power, detachment, and the human cost of systemic inequalities, asking readers to consider their own roles and complicity in such structures. The author emphasizes that literary fiction should challenge readers to examine their lives and lead more introspective existences, especially in times of collective threat.