American War
Omar El Akkad
2 ratings • 1 reviews
American War
Omar El Akkad
2 ratings • 1 reviews
Sarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana, is only six when the Second American Civil War breaks out in 2074. But even she knows that oil is outlawed, that Louisiana is half underwater, that unmanned drones fill the sky. And when her father is killed and her family is forced into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she quickly begins to be shaped by her particular time and place until, finally, through the influence of a mysterious functionary, she is turned into a deadly instrument of war. Telling her story is her nephew, Benjamin Chestnut, born during war – part of the Miraculous Generation – now an old man confronting the dark secret of his past, his family’s role in the conflict and, in particular, that of his aunt, a woman who saved his life while destroying untold others.
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We're dropped into the middle of the second American Civil War with the Chestnut family. We learn briefly that the civil war has broken out between the North (blue) and the South (red) over the banning of fossil fuels and an assassination of the US president.
Presumably, although the war is primarily fought between geographic regions, the reds are comprised of mainly Republicans and the blues of mostly Democrats. At a time where US politics is so polarized, it's easy (and frightening) to get drawn into the premise of a civil war and imagining how events could play out in reality. This is one of many reasons why I felt as though the author could have done more in describing the events that led up to the war in more detail. The story flips back and forth through Sarat's story and excerpts from war documents, transcriptions of hearings, and news articles (think World War Z).
That I felt the details of the war would have made the story even more compelling and left me wanting more is one reason this book didn't receive 5 stars from me.
The other is the lack of connection I felt to Sarat. I was longing for more insight into our main character's deepest thoughts, desires, aspirations. Great read for dystopian lovers and those drawn to politics but looking to get lost in another reality!
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