Six Striking American Novels
It’s been a turbulent week in the American news cycle, and we thought it would be a good opportunity to test out the theory that novels contain more insight about the American psyche than just data. So we decided to select six novels from the past decade and a half that we felt have done a good job of showcasing various sides of a complicated country.
Elizabeth Strout - Olive Kitteridge, 2008
This Pulitzer Prize winner is somewhere between a novel and a story collection, offering a close look into the small town of Crosby, Maine. Through the eyes of its protagonist, Olive Kitteridge, we see snapshots of various people in her orbit. A sensitive, perceptive book that looks at small-town America, the changes that time brings, the nature of family, and more, it’s a truly brilliant read.
Jonathan Tropper - This is Where I Leave You, 2009
This family tale is a raw story about divorce, family, death and more that is centered around a family coming together for a funeral after years in different places. A look at a dysfunctional American family, the legacy of growing up together and the divisions of identity. Set in upstate New York, the book follows Judd after he finds out his wife is cheating, returning home to sit shiva with his three siblings after the passing of their father.
Jesmyn Ward - Sing, Unburied, Sing, 2017
From a National Book Award nominated author, this book turns the archetypal road novel into rural twenty-first-century America. Ward gives a journey through Mississippi’s past and present that is both an intimate portrait of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle.
Sing, Unburied, Sing grapples with the ugly truths at the heart of the American story and the power and limitations of family.
Ocean Vuong - On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, 2019
Though it may not seem a typical American pick, this poetic novel that is rooted in Vietnam and immigration is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity as it exists in America today. Immersed in themes of addiction, violence, and trauma, but equally driven by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is about the power of telling one's own story.
Tess Gunty - The Rabbit Hutch, 2022
Set in an industrial housing complex in the once bustling fictional town of Vacca Vale, Indiana, The Rabbit Hutch is a powerful and funny snapshot of contemporary middle America. It’s a story that explores loneliness, longing, and the fault lines of society in an original way.
Barbara Kingsolver - Demon Copperhead, 2022
Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Kingsolver’s lauded novel is about a boy born to a teenage single mother in a trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's looks and a talent for survival. Relaying his journey through many years as he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, love and loss, this is a story of the forgotten parts of America that is filled with raw and powerful writing.