a nearly perfect copy by allison amend - excerpt

8/13/2019 A Nearly Perfect Copy by Allison Amend - Excerpt

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A Nearly Perfect Copy

A N O V E L

Allison Amend

Anchor Book

A Dvion of Random House LLC

New Yor


3/11

F I R S T A N C H O R B O O K S E D I T I O N , J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4

Copyrght 2013 by Allion Amend

All rights reserved. Published by Anchor Books, a division of Random House

LLC, New York, and in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, oronto,

Penguin Random House Companies. Originally published in hardcover in the

United States by Nan A. alese / Doubleday, a division of Random House LLC,

New York, in 2013.

Anchor Books and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.

Tis is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places,

events, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used

fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events,

or locales is entirely coincidental.

Te Library of Congress has cataloged the

Nan A. alese / Doubleday edition as follows:Amend, Allison.

A nearly perfect copy : a novel / Allison Amend.1st ed.

p. cm.

1. Art dealersFiction. 2. Loss (Psychology)Fiction.

3. Self-realizationFiction. I. itle.

PS3601.M464N43 2013

813'.6dc23 2012020699

Anchor ISBN: 978-0-345-80314-6eBook ISBN: 978-0-385-53670-7

Book desgn by Mara Carella

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1


4/11

Elm

Somims whn sh closd hr ys, Elm could se h wall

o war moving oward hr. T hissing o h wavs rrac-

ion burnd hr ardrums, and sh shivrd as hough pinnd

down again in h w dbris. Ts wr h snsaions sh rurnd o,

as i by daul, h imags rpaing ovr and ovr again.

A hre in h arnoon on a May Friday, Elm sa in a meing

wih h ohr dparmn hads o inslys. I was ging dark; hsun had slippd bhind h building across h sre and h sounds o

raffic blow wr ain hrough h doubl-pand windows.

Elm? Elm? Ian appd hr shouldr.

Wha? Sorry. Elm sa up sraighr and rifld h paprs on h

conrnc abl bor hr.

Quarrlis, Ian rmindd hr soly.

Righ, wll, as you know, h firs fiscal quarr, Elm bgan, buy-ing im whil sh lookd or hr nos, which shd pu in h oldr in

fon o hr, sh was sur o i. Tis is wha coms fom sicking an ar

hisory major in a corpora job, sh hough; is lik ging a hors o

danc: i migh happn, bu i won b prt.

And hn hr nos rvald hmslvs, on op, rady or hr pr-

snaion. Sh clard hr hroa. T firs fiscal quarr, sh rpad,

saw a drop in rvnu fom las yars rcordd arnings fom h sampriod. Col, an associa spcialis fom h Paris branch o h

aucion hous, was apping hr ounain pn agains hr papr, hr pug

nos wiggling in im.

How is his possibl in h biggs ar boom o h cnury? Grer

askd.


5/11

4 A L L I S O N A M E N D

Elm sa or a momn unil sh ralizd h qusion wasn rh-

orical. Wll, is possibl wr seing h downsid o ha boom. T

nrgy crisis

Ys, bu wr slling ar, no pork bllis, Grer said. A las,has h hory.

Grer insly nvr l pass a chanc o upbraid Elm in public,

capializing on his posiion as CEO o h aucion hous, and Elms sub-

ordina pos as had o svnenh- hrough ninenh-cnury

drawings and prins. Ty wr boh h hirs o h aucion hous

ha bor hir gra-grandahrs nam, bu h sharholdrs wr in

charg now. Tough Elm was, in Grers mind, on o h inrior cous-

ins, sh was a insly, no doub abou i, h chsnu hair ha would

accp no dy, h birdlik nos ha no rhinoplasr had vr succss-

ully radicad.

Elm l hr hands all o hr sids. Sh had ound ha whn bing

confond by Grer, h bs cours o acion was o ak non.

I man, ha is h hory, isn i? Grers accn was affcd,

wha som migh call Coninnal and wha Elms husband calld

inrnaional quen. H was h only man sh knw who sill woran asco, hough hr wr pln o mployes o inslys who wor

pock squars o mach hir is.

Ys, i is h hory, Elm said.

I man, wr no a musum, ar w? Collcing or our own pr-

sonal dicaion?

H semd o xpc an answr so Elm said, No, no dicaion.

Grer sighd havily. So wha plans do w hav or improving hisrnd?

Ian sood up, coming o Elms rscu. Wll, Grer, w ar ramping

up our businss-gting, which should prmi us o mov mor volum.

Tr ar a coupl o commissions ha Elm has garnrd . . .

Good. Grer semd uninrsd whn h objciv was no

Elms humiliaion. Numbrs lik his mak myourh gsurd a

Elm wihou looking a hrgra-grandahr urn ovr in his grav.Any ohr businss? No?

Elm brahd a sigh o rli and bgan o gahr hr paprs. On his

way ou, Grer approachd hr. Elm, Id lik o alk o you. Can you

com o my offi c in a w?


6/11

A N E A R L Y P E R F E C T C O P Y 5

Sur, Elm answrd, hr har conracing lik sh was a child in

roubl or passing nos a school. Sh prndd o ned o ordr hr

paprs whil sh waid unil vryon ls xid h conrnc room.

Ian was sanding jus ousid.H always managd o push h drss cod nvlop. oday h wor

a pink and blu V-sripd shir undr a dnily purpl sui, hough

Elm hough i migh b abl o pass or an iridscn black ha had

ben dry-cland oo many ims.

Tanks, I ow you, sh said.

Ill pu i on your ab, h said, and Elm wasn sur i h was joking

or annoyd. Did you call ha woman back?

No y, Elm said. Did w drmin, is sh an Atic? Aticwas

hir rm or an old prson, almos invariably a woman, who would

insis ha hr grandahr had ben Mons gardnr and savd a

masrpic. I was up in h atic somwhr, i hy could jus snd

som nic young prson o muck around in h cobwbs or a coupl o

days, ffcivly claning ou h womans atic or hr.

Probably. Uppr Ws Sid.

Elm shruggd. Tough h rally big sals wr om major sasand collcors, i was no inconcivabl ha som rich widow on Cn-

ral Park Ws ownd a w minor Guardis or Valas. Enough o hos

allowd or a comorabl bas on which o sarch or largr commissions.

You wan m o do i or you? Ian pu his hands on his hips. His

jack nglcd o bulg, lik i was sapld o his shir.

Tank you, y again, Elm said. You know your good wih h

ladis.Righ. Old ladis and pdigre dogs. Atraciv, succssul mn my

own ag wih a rus und, no so much.

Whr would I b wihou you? Elm askd. Whas mor

nowhr han nowhr?

T Eas Ninis?

Ha. Elm livd on Eas Nin-fh Sre.

Ians cll phon soundd. His ringon was a rump calling orh sar o a hors rac. Hllo? Oh, hiiii, h drawld, urning down

h hall and waving good-by.


7/11


Grers offi c had a magnicn viw o h Eas Rivr. Evn on h

grays day i was suffusd wih ligh. Elm had larnd o mak afr-

noon appoinmns, as Grer sa wih his back o h viw, and h srong

morning sun blindd hos who sa across om him. His offi c wasdcorad in h radiional masculini o dark woodwainscoing,

panls, buil-insall o i shiny obacco-brown oak. His grand dsk was

a ninenh-cnury Chippndal masrpic, Baroqu and ornaly

carvd. On is lgs wr acs, owrs, vins, and, o cours, agl e

gripping balls blund on h oor. T op was so polishd Elm could

se hr rcion whn sh land ovr i, and i was dvoid o vry-

hing xcp a lphon and a compurno pns, blotr, phoos,

in-box/ou-box, nohing.

Elmira, h said, igning surpris a hr apparanc. Tr you

ar. Will you si?

Hows Ann?

Conncicu, h rplid, answring a diffrn qusion. Puting

up h rosbushs or somhing. Colin? h askd. Moira?

Gra, boh gra. Elm smild. Sh knw h didn rally wan

nws; h was mrly bing poli. Tr was a shor silnc. Bhind him,amd by h bay windows, a ugboa rudgd down h Eas Rivr,

sacks o usd irs on is bow.

Elmira, h said. Im concrnd.

I know, Elm said. You mniond in h meing.

No, bu Im veryconcrnd. Grer sa back, placing his ankl on

his kne. H was rminding hr wih his body languag ha h was h

ral insly, sh h inrlopr. Tr had ben a scandal involving Elmsgrandmohrs marriag and sinc hn hr sid o h amily go h

smalls cotag on h amily compound and saw litl o h sas

larg dividnds. Elms ahr had mad som mony in ral sa, o all

hings, which was only slighly btr han claning oils in h am-

ilys simaion. Bu hn h social ordr wn by h waysid and h

company wn public and Grers insisnc on amily hirarchy was

sher snobbry.Elm, plas undrsand you ar a valud and rspcd par o his

sablishmn

And a insly, Elm inrrupd.

Grer noddd, paind. Bu I don hink Gra-grandahr would

hav wand i o b run ino h ground or h sak o amily loyal.


8/11

A N E A R L Y P E R F E C T C O P Y 7

I don hink Gra-grandahr, as you call him, would hav con-

sidrd m a insly.

Mayb no, h said. Elm had ound ou fom Grers brohr, h

swe and affabl, i prodigal, Will, who was now squandring his or-un on snow bunnis in Aspn, ha Grer had objcd o Elms hir-

ing, and was ovrruld by hn-chairman-o-h-board Grer Snior.

Elm wasn sur now i Grer harbord h sam s o prjudics ha

inuncd his opposiion o hr n yars ago, or i h was nursing nw

ons. Similarly, sh wasn sur wha h grounds or objcion wr.

T dgre fom h lssr undrgradua insiuion (lessermaning,

o cours, no Yal or Harvard)? Bu surly h couldn argu wih h

gradua dgre fom Columbia. Or h ac ha sh was considrd

an xpr in hr ld, h go-o prson or a NewYorkTimesquo, h

on who ook big clins o dinnr, a mmbr o h board o ruses o

o musums and h ar consulan o a rndy, invid-mmbrs-only

downown social club. Mayb i was jus h ac ha sh wasn close

amilyhr blood dilud. I wasn worh hinking abou. I was impos-

sibl o hink raionally abou irraional houghs.

Mayb, Elm, you wan o ak som im off. Grers voic ros ah nd o h snnc. H was rying o sound nonchalan, off h cuff.

o hal? sh askd. Sh was atmping sarcasm, bu sh sus-

pcd h hadn hard.

I you lik. Grer lookd a his dsk, dspra, Elm hough, or

somhing o disrac him. Finding nohing, h xamind his ngr-

nails. Youv barly akn any im sinc . . . H l h snnc

rail off.And prins and drawings?

Wll g somon ls o pich in or a whil.

Elm sood. I you wan m o lav, hn r m. Bu sop his

passiv-aggrssiv looking-ou-or-my-bs-inrss crap.

Kep your voic down, Grer said srnly. G ahold o yoursl.

Righ, Elm said. T amily cred. Do no show moion. Do no

mbarrass h amily. Griv your dad son in silnc.Now Grer was sanding oo, shockd by h mnion o Ronan, hr

son. Wha do you wan fom m? h hiss-whisprd; h didn wan

his scrary o ovrhar hm.

Nohing, Elm said. Suddnly, h angr was gon, as hough shd

ben sizd by a cramp and rlasd. Ts burss cam and wn, lav-


9/11


ing hr apologic and dnsiv. Sorry. Ill ocus. Wll b back in h

saddl by h all sason.

I hop so, Grer said. I crainly hop so.

A hom, Elms doorman inormd hr ha Moira and Wania had

ban hr hom. As soon as sh opnd h door, Moira ylld, Mom-

mymommy Mommymommymommy, and hrw hrsl ino Elms

lgs.

Hi, bunny, sh said, shuffl ing orward.

Wania sa on h couch in on o h lvision rbraiding a long

srand o hair. Afrnoon, Ms. Howlls. Sh was om Jamaica, and

Elm undrsood approximaly 30 prcn o wha sh said. Onc sh

old Elm ha h penrs had com, and Elm askd, Wha? hre

ims unil sh prndd o undrsand. I wasn unil ha vning,

lying in bd, rplaying h day, ha sh ralizd Wania had man

painrs.

How was school?

Fin, hy boh answrd auomaically.Andrw was rally unny oday, mon. Moira had pickd up

Wanias Jamaican slang. I drov Colin crazy, bu Elm ound i amus-

ing. H mad his nois in ar class lik hisMoira blw a raspbrry

ino hr orarmand vrybody rally laughd. Evn Mrs. Buchnr.

Elm was hal lisning, ipping hrough h mail. Bill, bill, packag o

coupons, labls om h Childrns Aid Soci, cabl lvision offr,

cabl lvision offr, cabl lvision offr. And, Mom? I soundd likh ard, Moira xplaind, in cas Elm didn g h jok.

Funny, Elm said, placing hr hand on Moiras snarld hair, a con-

inual sruggl. Sh had pracically com ou o h womb wih a mss o

angls, and no amoun o condiionr would kep hm om orming.

Elm had givn up on atmps o brush or braid i, and l Moira atnd

hr ony priva kindrgarn wild-hadd.

Seing ha hr mohr wasn inrsd, Moira dancd around incircls or a momn, and hn stld in on o h lvision.

You know, Wania, Elm said. You can go, i you wan.

Ar you sur, Ms. H? Wania prkd up.

Yah. Im no going o h gym or anyhing oday. Is hr dinnr?

Elm livd h ulima Nw York srop. Sh couldn cook, Colin


10/11


11/11
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a nearly perfect copy by allison amend - excerpt

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