I really really wanted to like this book more than I did. Set in a dying rust belt town in Pennsylvania, the novel attempts a noble eulogy for blue collar America, and that in and of itself is admirable. But the whole book feels a couple of drafts away from final. The author utilizes a stream of consciousness device that only works part of the time. The novel is repetitive and beats us over the head with its themes. Much of it feels like a righteously angry essay on the demise of America's manufacturing dominance, not a novel about people. Still. many individual scenes are wonderfully affecting, and I only wish the sum could have been as good as many of its component parts. This was a truly amazing book. The plot unfolds expertly, and great care was given to each character. They were authentic and powerful. Each character is this novel is faced with difficult choices with no easy solution. Each makes decisions which have lasting consequences and ripple through each others' lives. Poe makes the choice to go to prison for his friend, which in turn will most likely leave him damaged for the remainder of us life because of choices he must make. Isaac, despite his potential and his desire to get away makes the choice to care for his ailing father, despite the fact his father is cold toward him. Lee makes a choice to marry a wealthy man she doesn't really love in order to provide for her brother. Grace makes continual sacrifices for her son. Harris risks his career-and life- for love. Each decision is compelling. Set in a dying small town, characters are also facing poverty, dead end jobs and the decay of industry. The situation is real and forces people to make difficult decisions. I really enjoyed this novel. Each character was brilliant and the plot unfolded so perfectly.
What do You think about American Rust (2009)?
3.5 stars. A good read about several unfortunate lives in the American rust belt
—Suki
Great reading experience. Good storytelling.
—Phylea
Bleak but compelling. Beautifully written.
—170045
