The Rules of Fortune Summary, Characters and Themes

The Rules of Fortune by Danielle Prescod is a sharp and intricate novel that delves into the complex dynamics of a wealthy family coming to terms with secrets, power, and legacy.  The story focuses on the Carter family, particularly following the sudden death of William Carter Jr., the patriarch, who built an empire through his billion-dollar corporation.  As his family struggles with the consequences of his passing, long-buried truths about the man, his past, and his relationships with his children and wife come to light.

Through the perspectives of his wife Jacqueline, daughter Kennedy, and son Asher, the novel explores themes of family, ambition, identity, and the ethical costs of wealth.

Summary

The Rules of Fortune opens with the sudden and shocking death of William Carter Jr. , the CEO of a billion-dollar corporation, in the midst of a violent storm.

William, an enigmatic figure who built his success through hard work and careful control, dies unexpectedly from a stroke, leaving his family to deal with the aftermath.  His wife, Jacqueline, is the first to discover his lifeless body, and her response to his death is a mixture of shock and a sense of resignation.

Although she tries to act quickly, performing CPR in an attempt to save him, she knows that his death is imminent.  Jacqueline’s struggle is not just with the grief of losing her husband, but with the realization that she may never have truly understood the man she spent decades with.

Kennedy, the couple’s daughter, is also deeply affected by her father’s sudden passing.  She had been working on a video tribute for his milestone birthday, and in the process of creating this tribute, she uncovers elements of his past that make her question everything she thought she knew about him.

Her search leads her to Kofi Asare, a mysterious figure who appears in an old photograph of William from his college days.  Kennedy’s curiosity grows as she unravels the details of this relationship, and her investigation becomes entangled with her own identity struggles.

She also grapples with the moral questions surrounding her father’s business dealings and the ethical implications of his immense wealth.

Meanwhile, Asher, Kennedy’s brother, is dealing with his own set of problems.  Despite being the heir to the Carter fortune, Asher is struggling at Harvard Business School, unable to meet his father’s high expectations.

His failure in academia makes him feel inadequate and distant from his family’s legacy.  The pressure to succeed only intensifies with his father’s death, especially as the future of the family business becomes uncertain.

Asher’s relationship with his sister Kennedy becomes strained as they navigate their grief in different ways, and he grows resentful of her growing interest in their father’s past.  Asher’s apathy toward the family’s history contrasts sharply with Kennedy’s need to uncover the truth, leading to further conflict between them.

As the story unfolds, Jacqueline remains in the background, struggling to maintain control of the family’s empire and manage the public response to William’s death.  Despite her outward composure, Jacqueline is deeply conflicted as she reflects on her long marriage to William.

She was always aware of the power dynamics in their relationship, but his death forces her to confront the emotional distance that defined their partnership.  The narrative weaves through her emotional journey, illustrating her inner turmoil as she tries to navigate her grief while maintaining the façade of control.

Kennedy’s quest to understand her father’s life leads her to Harvard’s newspaper archives, where she uncovers a connection between William’s business empire and a housing project that Kofi Asare had been working on before his untimely death.  This revelation deepens Kennedy’s questions about her father’s legacy and the motivations behind his business decisions.

She learns that her father’s company had eventually pursued the project that Kofi had initiated, but she is left with more questions than answers.  Her investigation is also complicated by her strained relationship with Asher, who dismisses her concerns about Kofi and the ethical implications of their father’s work.

As Kennedy continues her investigation into her father’s past, she is also forced to confront her own internal conflict.  As a member of a wealthy family, she has always been sheltered from the harsh realities of the world, but her exploration of her father’s legacy forces her to reckon with the privilege and wealth that have defined her life.

Her conversations with her brother and friends push her to examine the morality of her family’s fortune, and she begins to question what it means to inherit such wealth.

In a parallel storyline, Tashia Carter, a friend of Kennedy’s, is also grappling with the complexities of her relationship with the Carter family.  Tashia, who has grown close to Kennedy, feels alienated by the world of wealth and exclusivity that the Carters inhabit.

Her growing relationship with Ernest, a man with a difficult past, adds further complexity to her personal struggles.  Tashia’s internal conflict intensifies as she becomes aware of Ernest’s secret online activities, which involve exposing the Carter Corporation’s unethical business practices.

Tashia’s discovery of Ernest’s website leads to a sense of betrayal, and she is forced to confront the uncomfortable truths about her friends and their family’s wealth.

As Tashia tries to navigate her relationship with Ernest and the Carter family, she decides to warn Kennedy about the website before it goes public.  However, her decision to take action is complicated by the sudden news of William Carter Jr.’s death.  Tashia’s journey to tell Kennedy takes on an even greater urgency as she grapples with the fallout from Ernest’s betrayal and the implications of her own feelings toward the Carter family.

Her decision to leave Ernest marks a turning point in the novel, as she begins to question her own identity and her place in a world defined by privilege and power.

The story concludes with the unraveling of the Carter family’s carefully constructed image.  As secrets and betrayals come to light, each member of the family is forced to confront the legacy they inherit and the ethical implications of their wealth and power.

Kennedy, Asher, Jacqueline, and Tashia all find themselves at a crossroads, grappling with the complicated truths about their family and their own roles within it.  The novel ends on a note of uncertainty, as the characters face the challenges of living with the knowledge of their past actions and the consequences of their family’s empire.

Through these unfolding revelations, The Rules of Fortune examines the weight of legacy, the complexity of family dynamics, and the ethical costs of wealth and power.

Characters

William Carter Jr.

William Carter Jr.  is portrayed as a man who has carefully constructed a life centered around power, control, and the perception of success.

As the CEO of a billion-dollar corporation, his identity is tightly bound to his professional achievements, and his public persona is meticulously curated.  Beneath this polished exterior, however, lies a man burdened by the weight of his past, particularly the class divide he felt growing up.

Raised in a working-class family, William always felt a sense of alienation in the elite world he entered, both at his prestigious boarding school and within his corporate empire.  His father’s role as a groundskeeper at the school serves as a constant reminder of the economic and social disparities that marked his upbringing.

This background leads him to compartmentalize his emotions and distance himself from the uncomfortable realities of his origins.  His internal conflicts are intensified by his secretive nature, and as the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that his efforts to control his legacy are threatened by the resurfacing of his past, especially when the mysterious figure of Kofi Asare emerges.

William’s death marks the unraveling of a man who spent his life trying to avoid facing the truth about himself, both in terms of his past and his current relationships.

Jacqueline Bennett Carter

Jacqueline Bennett Carter, William’s wife, is a woman caught between composure and the underlying grief of losing her husband.  Her immediate reaction to his death is a blend of shock, disbelief, and quick action, as she attempts to manage both the practical and emotional aspects of the situation.

Jacqueline’s character reveals the complexities of long-term relationships, particularly when faced with the sudden absence of a partner.  Throughout her marriage, she struggled with the distance that William often maintained, a distance that she now recognizes may have been a form of emotional protection rather than intentional coldness.

As she faces the aftermath of his death, Jacqueline begins to reflect on the years they spent together, grappling with the realization that she may never have truly known the man she married.  Her role as the matriarch of the Carter family becomes more complicated as she must also navigate the rising tensions among her children, Kennedy and Asher, and manage the public response to William’s passing.

Her internal journey is marked by a quiet sense of resignation as she starts to acknowledge the emotional isolation she has experienced in her marriage.

Kennedy Carter

Kennedy Carter, the daughter of William and Jacqueline, is characterized by her introspective nature and her search for truth in a world built on perfection and expectation.  As she embarks on the journey to uncover the truth about her father’s past, Kennedy becomes increasingly disillusioned with the glossy image of the Carter family.

Her investigation into Kofi Asare, her father’s college roommate, reveals a web of secrets that complicate her understanding of her father’s legacy.  Kennedy’s internal struggle is driven by her conflicting feelings of loyalty to her family and her desire to understand the man behind the carefully curated public image.

Her relationship with her brother, Asher, is strained, particularly as she uncovers truths that he is either indifferent to or chooses to ignore.  Kennedy’s sense of identity is further complicated by the trauma of a high school scandal, in which her father’s wealth shielded her from severe consequences but left her feeling isolated and unimportant.

This experience shapes her growing awareness of the moral dilemmas tied to her family’s wealth and the ethical consequences of their actions.  Kennedy’s relationship with her best friend, Tashia, becomes one of the few sources of emotional support as she begins to confront these complex questions about wealth, privilege, and the legacy she is inheriting.

Asher Bennett Carter

Asher Bennett Carter, the son of William and Jacqueline, is presented as a figure of quiet conflict, both internally and within his family.  Outwardly stoic, Asher is the heir apparent to his father’s corporate empire, but he is clearly struggling with the weight of expectations placed upon him.

His failure to meet his father’s high standards at Harvard Business School exacerbates his sense of inadequacy, and the death of William only intensifies his feelings of uncertainty about his future.  Asher’s relationship with his sister, Kennedy, is fraught with tension, especially as she delves into their father’s murky past.

He resents her for questioning their father’s legacy, seeing her investigation as a betrayal, even though he himself is deeply uncertain about his place in the family and the legacy he is expected to uphold.  Asher’s internal struggles are compounded by his own failures, both academically and emotionally, which leave him feeling disconnected from the values and ambitions that have defined his family’s success.

His character is marked by a sense of confusion and frustration, as he tries to reconcile his own desires with the expectations thrust upon him by his family and the larger world.

Tashia Carter

Tashia Carter is a pivotal character whose journey reflects the tensions between personal identity and familial obligation.  While she is close friends with Kennedy, Tashia’s own relationship with the Carter family is more complicated, marked by feelings of alienation due to the overwhelming wealth and privilege that define their lives.

Tashia’s internal conflict revolves around her recognition of the absurdities of the Carter family’s wealth and the sense of exclusion she feels within that world.  She shares an anecdote about the Carters’ need for personal drivers, a symbol of their detachment from reality, which underscores her discomfort with their privileged lifestyle.

However, Tashia is not without her own moral dilemmas.  Her relationship with Ernest becomes increasingly fraught as she discovers that he has been using information from her conversations with Kennedy to further his own agenda.

This betrayal forces Tashia to confront the complexities of loyalty, trust, and personal integrity.  Ultimately, her decision to distance herself from Ernest and warn Kennedy about his actions signifies her desire to protect her friend from the manipulative forces that threaten to undermine the Carters’ legacy.

Tashia’s journey is one of self-discovery, as she navigates her place within the Carter family and the larger societal structures that they represent.  Her evolving understanding of truth, loyalty, and morality marks her as a character who is continuously reconciling her personal values with the expectations placed upon her.

Themes

Family Dynamics and Legacy

The relationships within the Carter family are marked by complexity, power struggles, and unspoken tensions, which are deeply influenced by the legacy of William Carter Jr.  The family’s interactions reflect a broader societal expectation of success and the burden of maintaining that image at all costs.

Jacqueline, the matriarch, wrestles with the reality of her long marriage to a man whose public persona was polished to perfection, but who she realizes she never truly knew in an intimate sense.  This realization unfolds as she grapples with her grief after his sudden death.

Kennedy, their daughter, seeks to uncover the man behind the carefully curated image of her father.  She is caught between her family’s expectation for perfection and her personal need to understand the complexities of her father’s life, especially in the face of her own insecurities and emotional turmoil.

Asher, the son, is torn between fulfilling the legacy of his father’s corporation and dealing with his own personal failures, both academically and emotionally.  The family dynamics reveal a significant tension between personal identity and the external forces of success, wealth, and reputation.

Each character’s struggle to define themselves in the shadow of William’s power and wealth underscores the emotional cost of being bound to such an imposing legacy.

Wealth, Privilege, and Moral Conflict

The theme of wealth and privilege runs throughout the narrative, highlighting the moral dilemmas that arise from the Carter family’s immense fortune.  For Kennedy, the revelation about the darker side of her father’s business dealings creates a conflict that extends beyond the personal into the political and ethical.

She begins to question whether the wealth amassed by her family, which has been used to protect them from the consequences of their actions, is truly worth the sacrifices it has demanded from their personal integrity.  Her relationship with Tashia, a character from a more modest background, amplifies this moral inquiry.

Tashia offers a different perspective on the Carter family’s wealth, viewing it not as a symbol of success but as a form of exploitation and inequality.  Tashia’s worldview is shaped by her own experiences with the family’s privilege, and she is increasingly disillusioned with the hypocrisy of their actions.

Her perspective forces Kennedy to reconsider the ethical implications of her family’s wealth and the role they play in perpetuating societal injustices.  The deeper Kennedy digs into her father’s past, the more she is confronted with the stark realities of privilege and the moral questions surrounding how it is accumulated and preserved.

The Masks We Wear

A recurring theme in The Rules of Fortune is the masks the characters wear to protect themselves from vulnerability and the harsh truths of their lives.  William Carter Jr., the family patriarch, is a prime example of this theme.  His meticulously controlled public image is in stark contrast to the private pain and internal struggles he faces.

Raised in a working-class environment, William’s ambition to succeed in a predominantly white and wealthy world forced him to compartmentalize his past, and in doing so, he created a facade of success that hid his personal turmoil.  His life was shaped by a desire to distance himself from his humble beginnings, particularly his strained relationship with his father, and he maintained this mask even in the face of mounting emotional pressure.

Kennedy, too, grapples with the masks she wears, trying to live up to the expectations of her father and her family while simultaneously questioning her own identity.  Asher, likewise, struggles with his place in the family and the weight of his father’s expectations, which leads him to suppress his own feelings of inadequacy.

The masks the characters wear are not just for public consumption but also serve as a way to protect them from confronting the deeper issues in their lives, creating a tension between who they are and who they are expected to be.

Betrayal and Loyalty

Betrayal and loyalty are critical themes that play out through the characters’ interactions with one another, particularly in the context of Tashia’s relationship with Ernest.  Tashia finds herself at a crossroads, torn between her loyalty to Kennedy and her personal relationship with Ernest, who has been using information gathered from their conversations for his own agenda.

Her discovery of Ernest’s secret online activities exposes the underlying betrayal in their relationship, as Ernest has been manipulating her trust for his own gain.  Tashia’s decision to confront Kennedy with the truth about Ernest, despite her own emotional turmoil, reveals her commitment to honesty and loyalty, even in the face of uncomfortable truths.

This theme also plays out in the Carter family dynamics, where loyalty is tested by personal ambitions and family secrets.  Kennedy’s pursuit of the truth about her father’s past, despite the strain it puts on her relationships with Asher and her mother, highlights the tension between familial loyalty and the moral need to uncover the truth.

The theme of betrayal and loyalty challenges the characters to reevaluate their relationships and the cost of keeping secrets in the face of personal and collective reckonings.

Identity and Self-Discovery

The theme of self-discovery is particularly evident in Kennedy’s journey as she confronts the complexities of her identity within the context of her family and her father’s legacy.  As she learns more about the hidden truths of her father’s business dealings, she is forced to reassess who she is and what she values.

Kennedy’s investigation into her father’s past, including the revelation about Kofi Asare and the business projects connected to his legacy, serves as a catalyst for her own self-exploration.  She begins to question the morality of the wealth that has defined her family and whether she can continue to align herself with their values.

The tension between her personal values and the expectations placed on her by her family deepens as she realizes that her quest for truth may come at the cost of her place within the family structure.  Tashia, too, undergoes a process of self-discovery, particularly in her relationship with Ernest and her understanding of the Carter family’s privilege.

Her experiences force her to confront the stark differences between her life and the world of the Carters, leading her to question her own values and what it means to belong to such an exclusive, wealthy world.  This journey of self-discovery, marked by emotional growth and painful realizations, defines the arc of the main characters as they seek to understand their true selves in relation to the legacies they inherit.