The Game explores why eight good friends decide to play a game created by one of them which challenges all of them beyond their comfort zones and relational ethics. The players are four married couples now living in Connecticut on the wealthy outskirts of Manhattan. Over years of friendly competition, the men and their wives have come to call themselves the Fearless Foursome. When one of the men constructs a game based on his sexual fantasy, he coerces the other seven - male and female - friends to play. After the game begins the norms they have developed as friends and couples begin to deteriorate. Each player begins to examine the meaning and value of marital and sexual ethics within the emerging background of sexual harassment and financial greed as 1999 comes to an end along with the millennium and Y2K. The Game is a page turner that chronicles the erosion across norms, values, standards, and relationships in today’s society. … when fantasy overrides rational thinking, usually disaster or untoward outcomes result. It was a fun ride through, prior to the crash … some of the content makes me cringe but that is the nature of the story, and the story is credible. Gail H Vance, M.D. … the story line … is an excellent example of the juxtaposition of competition and compassion as personal values, and the negative affect competition ultimately has on inter-personal relationships. Jim Van Buren.The Game is Eric C. Williams’ debut novel. He has worked in economics, mathematics, and the world of software from mainframes in the late ‘60s to the laptops of today. Born in Chagrin Falls, Ohio he now lives in Chicago with his artistic (and very useful editor) wife, Sandy. As a result of his entrepreneurial career in the United States, London, and Brussels, Eric has developed rich insight into human relationships. The Game shows that he has been paying attention.
