A Firm State of Heart

A Firm State of Heart is Bob Gilbert's fourth novel and the third that takes place in Washington, DC. It's protagonist, Minneapolis native Samuel Meckler, is a young poet crafting a long poem that documents the spirit of the times. Meckler supports himself by working as a waiter at Tadich Grill, an upscale Washington restaurant located on Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and the US Capitol. His interaction with congressmen, senators, cabinet members, and media personalities gives him an eyewitness account of American politics. His social life takes him into DC cultural salons, ghetto trap houses, and Capitol Hill streets. His affair with a famous broadcaster coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic recession, and the death of George Floyd, which wrecks his hometown. Ultimately, A Firm State of Heart is an idealistic young man's attempt to articulate new values in a digital age rife with fraud and cynicism. Though it takes place in the Trump era, it barely mentions the president's name because ultimately, the story is not about politics but about the creation of a new literature.