Ten Unknowns

Ten Unknowns, by Jon Robin Baitz, follows the story of Malcolm Raphelson, a one-time avatar of the art world. But after falling from grace, he slips into self-imposed exile in a quiet Mexican town. He stays there until art dealer Trevor Fabricant decides that it’s time for a retrospective. Trevor sends Judd, a talented and tormented young painter, to serve as Malcolm’s assistant and unofficial minder. When they are joined by a beautiful young student, their tense equilibrium is upset.

Baitz uses wonderful characters to pose intense questions regarding our beliefs about the creative process. In the end a surprise revelation causes the characters to seriously reconsider everything they had considered right. With biting dialogue and a world portrayed with its many conflicts, Ten Unknowns is an important contemporary work about modern America, bringing into question its morals and sensibilities.