dilan11's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Philip Meyer can write. I will say that. The Son is a better book than this and I expect he will just keep getting better. I find this book very hard to read at night. It's the potential for violence that is so anxiety producing. If it were just outright violence, I could get through that. It is a compelling story and very well written yet the despair practically leaks through the pages.
Initially, this is how I felt - It is amazingly both plot and character driven. I find the section written from the perspectives of the boys the most interesting. Dialogue between Bud Harris and his police supervisor is not very connected. It feels like dialogue from a mediocre movie. Still this is an amazing book for a debut. It's hard to believe it's a debut. That it is bleak and hard for me does not take away from its artistry. But then later the zero hope, zero joy just got to me and I just wanted to finish it.
To read a book a reader has to want something - to know a character, or for a character to be okay, saved, redeemed. Sometimes it's just clarity - what is going on. Oftentimes it's hope - a hope that a situation will be resolved. The problem with American Rust is that I want nothing. I have read apocalyptic books that still had a shred of hope for the interior of a human being - for that human being to find peace. But no one here is finding anything.
Initially, this is how I felt - It is amazingly both plot and character driven. I find the section written from the perspectives of the boys the most interesting. Dialogue between Bud Harris and his police supervisor is not very connected. It feels like dialogue from a mediocre movie. Still this is an amazing book for a debut. It's hard to believe it's a debut. That it is bleak and hard for me does not take away from its artistry. But then later the zero hope, zero joy just got to me and I just wanted to finish it.
To read a book a reader has to want something - to know a character, or for a character to be okay, saved, redeemed. Sometimes it's just clarity - what is going on. Oftentimes it's hope - a hope that a situation will be resolved. The problem with American Rust is that I want nothing. I have read apocalyptic books that still had a shred of hope for the interior of a human being - for that human being to find peace. But no one here is finding anything.
More thoughts on The Son compared to American Rust - The Son is a much better book than American Rust. American Rust is more tightly constructed, more honed. It shows evidence of being re-written several times. Language is taut, multiple povs are well done. Yet, the sprawling narrative of The Son is more interesting, more engaging. Perhaps it is like Meyer achieved recognition with American Rust and then was free to actually write a more interesting narrative, something more sprawling and truer to the characters.
barbarasg's review against another edition
3.0
I was really tempted to give this four stars but wasn't convinced enough in the end. I think it is written very well. His style is unique which makes it interesting, and the perspective is fascinating because we are basically reading different character's every thought.
On the negative side I do feel like there are some important things missing in their chains of thought. I tried to reflect on my own way to think to figure out if we really do fail to think about the reasons we make certain decisions, but I don't think we do. His characters make big decisions without figuring out the reasons for them in their own thoughts. I found that a little strange. Even though otherwise their thoughts seem pretty convincing and accurate.
I also had a slight problem with the language...even though I know that it is realistic to let his characters use so many swear words I just don't like to read them all the time- just like I don't like listening to them. The ending was just slightly unsatisfying, which is ok. The story was good and I did want to pick the book up all the time to see where it was going.
On the negative side I do feel like there are some important things missing in their chains of thought. I tried to reflect on my own way to think to figure out if we really do fail to think about the reasons we make certain decisions, but I don't think we do. His characters make big decisions without figuring out the reasons for them in their own thoughts. I found that a little strange. Even though otherwise their thoughts seem pretty convincing and accurate.
I also had a slight problem with the language...even though I know that it is realistic to let his characters use so many swear words I just don't like to read them all the time- just like I don't like listening to them. The ending was just slightly unsatisfying, which is ok. The story was good and I did want to pick the book up all the time to see where it was going.
bellatora's review against another edition
3.0
When this book was released to rhapsodic reviews back in 2009, critics compared Meyer to everyone from Faulkner to Hemingway - two authors who could not be more different in style, making me wonder how critics choose literary comparisons, and if they're just identifying any famous author who is vaguely related in style and substance. It feels akin to publishers declaring that a book is X meets Y in a popular culture Madlibs (Hunger Games meets Die Hard! Twilight meets Titanic!). Over a decade later, I'm curious if this book is still poised to be one of the Great American Novels. Meyer has written a second critically acclaimed book and has had TV series made out of both of his books, so he must be doing something right.
This story centers on Isaac and Poe, two young men who had the opportunity to escape their dying factory town in Pennsylvania but who failed to grasp the lifesaver tossed out to them and are instead slowly drowning. Isaac is one of the smartest people in town (so I am told, although his actions and thoughts never really support this). His older sister, Lee, is a Yale graduate. Isaac wanted to follow after her, but his mother committed suicide, leaving him to care for their disabled father. Two years after high school, he's still stuck being a caretaker. Poe was a football star who was offered a scholarship to play at Colgate, but who failed to make any decision so stayed in town to work at the hardware store and live with his mother. The book opens with Isaac on his way out of town (in a harebrained scheme to hitchhike to California and just show up at a college and somehow enroll without applying). His best friend Poe is accompanying him part of the way, and they take shelter from the rain in an abandoned building. Three itinerants show up, Poe gets assaulted by one, and Isaac murders another one in an attempt to save Poe. The book is about how their lives unravel following this event. Meyer uses multiple POVs, including both boys, Lee, Poe's mom, Isaac's dad, and the town sheriff who is the sometimes lover of Poe's mother. Meyer also plays with style a bit, giving characters a stream-of-consciousness when they are having emotional breakdowns and also jumping between first and second person. He at least believes in punctuation, unlike McCarthy.
My favorite parts of the book are when one character is castigating another character for being an idiot. This happened a few times, and I always agreed with the one character yelling at the other. If nothing else, the moral of this story is that only the rich can afford simple flaws like indecisiveness and pride. Those without the money and the means will only be pulled down into the abyss if they aren't striving and ruthless (see: Lee, who keeps telling herself that she had to save herself first, and it's not her fault that her brother never got out because he chose to take care of their disabled father instead of following her to college. She is the only one with a bright future ahead of her, everyone else is just trying to keep their heads above water). I also mostly enjoyed the Sheriff's chapters, since I've always had a soft spot for stoic and determined but weary characters.
I believe this book falls into the category of gritlit, along with [b:Winter's Bone|112525|Winter's Bone|Daniel Woodrell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387668411l/112525._SY75_.jpg|1693257] and most of Cormac McCarthy's writing. I am not a big gritlit fan. American Rust is probably a perfectly fine example and likely a good introduction to the subgenre and a good choice for someone who enjoys it. However, nothing about the book pulled me in. Maybe this book was more groundbreaking in 2009, but between the gritty literature that's been published and the gritty dark shows that are critical darlings, I feel like I've seen a version of this plot and these characters too many times. If I don't enjoy a book on its sheer entertainment value, then I want to enjoy it because it shows me a new part of the world or a new perspective. This did neither. If I want to read a Rustbelt author, then [a:Richard Russo|7844|Richard Russo|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1462982489p2/7844.jpg] will be my go to (though he has some misses). If I want a gritty modern Western, then it's [a:Cormac McCarthy|4178|Cormac McCarthy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1611995562p2/4178.jpg] - in fact, [b:No Country for Old Men|12497|No Country for Old Men|Cormac McCarthy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1443231179l/12497._SY75_.jpg|2996445] felt like a far superior version of this story of a young man who makes a mistake in an instant and suffers the terrible consequences, and the gruff but kind sheriff who is trying to save him despite himself and who no longer recognizes the world he has grown old in. Unfortunately, for me American Rust doesn't add much to the conversation. The prison scenes, which I believe are supposed to be emotionally hard hitting, just felt like a stereotype of how Hollywood has portrayed prison. It may very well be accurate - I did some brief research, and Meyer taught a writing class to inmates and had friends who went to prison, so he is not completely unfamiliar with the subject - but it was nothing I haven't already seen on TV, and pretty much exactly what I would expect to happen in this sort of book.
This story centers on Isaac and Poe, two young men who had the opportunity to escape their dying factory town in Pennsylvania but who failed to grasp the lifesaver tossed out to them and are instead slowly drowning. Isaac is one of the smartest people in town (so I am told, although his actions and thoughts never really support this). His older sister, Lee, is a Yale graduate. Isaac wanted to follow after her, but his mother committed suicide, leaving him to care for their disabled father. Two years after high school, he's still stuck being a caretaker. Poe was a football star who was offered a scholarship to play at Colgate, but who failed to make any decision so stayed in town to work at the hardware store and live with his mother. The book opens with Isaac on his way out of town (in a harebrained scheme to hitchhike to California and just show up at a college and somehow enroll without applying). His best friend Poe is accompanying him part of the way, and they take shelter from the rain in an abandoned building. Three itinerants show up, Poe gets assaulted by one, and Isaac murders another one in an attempt to save Poe. The book is about how their lives unravel following this event. Meyer uses multiple POVs, including both boys, Lee, Poe's mom, Isaac's dad, and the town sheriff who is the sometimes lover of Poe's mother. Meyer also plays with style a bit, giving characters a stream-of-consciousness when they are having emotional breakdowns and also jumping between first and second person. He at least believes in punctuation, unlike McCarthy.
My favorite parts of the book are when one character is castigating another character for being an idiot. This happened a few times, and I always agreed with the one character yelling at the other. If nothing else, the moral of this story is that only the rich can afford simple flaws like indecisiveness and pride. Those without the money and the means will only be pulled down into the abyss if they aren't striving and ruthless (see: Lee, who keeps telling herself that she had to save herself first, and it's not her fault that her brother never got out because he chose to take care of their disabled father instead of following her to college. She is the only one with a bright future ahead of her, everyone else is just trying to keep their heads above water). I also mostly enjoyed the Sheriff's chapters, since I've always had a soft spot for stoic and determined but weary characters.
I believe this book falls into the category of gritlit, along with [b:Winter's Bone|112525|Winter's Bone|Daniel Woodrell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387668411l/112525._SY75_.jpg|1693257] and most of Cormac McCarthy's writing. I am not a big gritlit fan. American Rust is probably a perfectly fine example and likely a good introduction to the subgenre and a good choice for someone who enjoys it. However, nothing about the book pulled me in. Maybe this book was more groundbreaking in 2009, but between the gritty literature that's been published and the gritty dark shows that are critical darlings, I feel like I've seen a version of this plot and these characters too many times. If I don't enjoy a book on its sheer entertainment value, then I want to enjoy it because it shows me a new part of the world or a new perspective. This did neither. If I want to read a Rustbelt author, then [a:Richard Russo|7844|Richard Russo|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1462982489p2/7844.jpg] will be my go to (though he has some misses). If I want a gritty modern Western, then it's [a:Cormac McCarthy|4178|Cormac McCarthy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1611995562p2/4178.jpg] - in fact, [b:No Country for Old Men|12497|No Country for Old Men|Cormac McCarthy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1443231179l/12497._SY75_.jpg|2996445] felt like a far superior version of this story of a young man who makes a mistake in an instant and suffers the terrible consequences, and the gruff but kind sheriff who is trying to save him despite himself and who no longer recognizes the world he has grown old in. Unfortunately, for me American Rust doesn't add much to the conversation. The prison scenes, which I believe are supposed to be emotionally hard hitting, just felt like a stereotype of how Hollywood has portrayed prison. It may very well be accurate - I did some brief research, and Meyer taught a writing class to inmates and had friends who went to prison, so he is not completely unfamiliar with the subject - but it was nothing I haven't already seen on TV, and pretty much exactly what I would expect to happen in this sort of book.
castlelass's review against another edition
5.0
Steel plants have closed, and jobs lost in the Monongahela Valley, Pennsylvania, where this novel takes place. Poverty, violence, drugs, boredom, and desperation are prevalent. Former steel plant structures stand abandoned in the overgrowth. Two unlikely friends, Isaac (the smart but awkward kid) and Billy (the football jock) have stayed in their small town after graduation, missing their chance to go to college. Isaac has been taking care of his invalid father after his mother’s suicide. His sister has already escaped to college and marriage. He decides to leave and asks Billy to come with him. They approach an abandoned building, where a man will be killed, and their lives forever altered. It is a story of staying vs. leaving, fear vs. bravery, selfishness vs. altruism.
The writing style took me a bit of time to assimilate. It is quasi-stream-of-consciousness, as if the reader is in the head of six characters, thinking along with them, which proves to be a very effective method of characterization. Each character sees a portion of the greater story from a personal perspective, none having access to the entire picture. In addition to Isaac and Billy, the story is told from the perspectives of Grace (Billy’s mother), Henry (Isaac’s father), Lee (Isaac’s sister), and Harris (the chief of police of their town who has been involved with Grace). The novel is more character-driven than plot-driven, but there is a plot, and the tension is built through this limited perspective of each character, gradually revealing to the reader what has happened. I thought it was a brilliant way to tell this story.
These are flawed but decent people, often making poor decisions and facing the fallout. They are confronted with moral dilemmas and must choose their actions when the stakes are high. This book explores the questions of what lengths a person will go to protect a friend or loved one, and whether a person should save oneself or someone else at the risk of personal safety. It touches on questions of personal dignity, inner strength, and integrity. How much are an individual’s actions are driven by social, mental, or physical fear, and should they be? I questioned a couple of plot points, but in the end, I became so invested in these characters that it didn’t matter. The ending is not tidied up and is left for the reader to imagine but offers hope for the characters of the story and, more importantly, for humankind. This book is the author’s debut and I look forward to reading more of his work. Highly recommended.
The writing style took me a bit of time to assimilate. It is quasi-stream-of-consciousness, as if the reader is in the head of six characters, thinking along with them, which proves to be a very effective method of characterization. Each character sees a portion of the greater story from a personal perspective, none having access to the entire picture. In addition to Isaac and Billy, the story is told from the perspectives of Grace (Billy’s mother), Henry (Isaac’s father), Lee (Isaac’s sister), and Harris (the chief of police of their town who has been involved with Grace). The novel is more character-driven than plot-driven, but there is a plot, and the tension is built through this limited perspective of each character, gradually revealing to the reader what has happened. I thought it was a brilliant way to tell this story.
These are flawed but decent people, often making poor decisions and facing the fallout. They are confronted with moral dilemmas and must choose their actions when the stakes are high. This book explores the questions of what lengths a person will go to protect a friend or loved one, and whether a person should save oneself or someone else at the risk of personal safety. It touches on questions of personal dignity, inner strength, and integrity. How much are an individual’s actions are driven by social, mental, or physical fear, and should they be? I questioned a couple of plot points, but in the end, I became so invested in these characters that it didn’t matter. The ending is not tidied up and is left for the reader to imagine but offers hope for the characters of the story and, more importantly, for humankind. This book is the author’s debut and I look forward to reading more of his work. Highly recommended.
jfl's review against another edition
4.0
(2010)
American Rust is a great title. And it summarizes effectively the human drama Philipp Myer chronicles in this novel. In spite of some flaws, the work captures the tragedies and sentimental comedies of life in the rusting (read “dying”) towns of the Northeast, including south west Pennsylvania. In addition, Myer intertwines effectively the lives of the primary characters with the physical and built environments of that area. It is a skillfully crafted first novel.
The ending is slightly disappointing, unexpected given the directness of the introspections of the major characters. The pages before, however, are not disappointing.
(2022)
I first read American Rust in 2010, well before America's simmering social segmentation flamed into the public's consciousness during and after Trump's presidency. Re-reading it in 2022, I echo Scott Galupo's 2016 suggestion: "You should add American Rust to your Trumplandia reading list."
American Rust is a great title. And it summarizes effectively the human drama Philipp Myer chronicles in this novel. In spite of some flaws, the work captures the tragedies and sentimental comedies of life in the rusting (read “dying”) towns of the Northeast, including south west Pennsylvania. In addition, Myer intertwines effectively the lives of the primary characters with the physical and built environments of that area. It is a skillfully crafted first novel.
The ending is slightly disappointing, unexpected given the directness of the introspections of the major characters. The pages before, however, are not disappointing.
(2022)
I first read American Rust in 2010, well before America's simmering social segmentation flamed into the public's consciousness during and after Trump's presidency. Re-reading it in 2022, I echo Scott Galupo's 2016 suggestion: "You should add American Rust to your Trumplandia reading list."
lindage's review against another edition
5.0
As expected, another epic read from Philipp Meyer. What an incredible cast of characters, effortless, beautiful writing and the setting/aesthetic is right up my alley. Love it. I want a TV series of this too.
kylegarvey's review against another edition
3.0
A standard crime thriller with splashes of deeper conscience. The writing's interesting and well-muscled, but the story underneath isn't all great. The author Meyer is a bag of contradictions: high school dropout but Cornell grad, Baltimore native but transplant to upstate New York (and, in this novel, to Pennsylvania; and, in both his second novel (2013's The Son) and real life, to Texas), smart guy but physical guy. The book self-contradicts in a similar way, I think; not bad but not perfect.
Buell, Pennsylvania is a rich setting for his début novel: gorgeous scenery but drenched in hopeless dread. The first chapter's untitled but the rest are all named for different characters, any of a cast of six exploring a drama from their own splintered, stream-of-consciousness perspective. The central story -- an unlikely brainiac (Isaac) and brute (Poe) friendship -- is a bit pat, frankly. Natural but self-satisfied, with a queer smash of 1st -, 2nd-, 3rd-person POVs all together. Isaac is genuine, Poe seems bluntly but effectively contrived, but most of the others -- Grace, Harris, Henry, inmates, wanderers, sad souls -- ineffectively contrived.
Isaac runs away from his suffocating home, with a crippled and uncaring father, the dark memories of a suicided mother, and a sister who fled years before. His friend Poe (a former high school football star, nowadays also hopeless, also a stupid intellectual, an uncaring paranoid) accompanies him for a bit. But there's an accidental killing, and Isaac can continue his escape while Poe's stuck with the murder charge. California is, in the end, an invisible utopia.
Buell, Pennsylvania is a rich setting for his début novel: gorgeous scenery but drenched in hopeless dread. The first chapter's untitled but the rest are all named for different characters, any of a cast of six exploring a drama from their own splintered, stream-of-consciousness perspective. The central story -- an unlikely brainiac (Isaac) and brute (Poe) friendship -- is a bit pat, frankly. Natural but self-satisfied, with a queer smash of 1st -, 2nd-, 3rd-person POVs all together. Isaac is genuine, Poe seems bluntly but effectively contrived, but most of the others -- Grace, Harris, Henry, inmates, wanderers, sad souls -- ineffectively contrived.
Isaac runs away from his suffocating home, with a crippled and uncaring father, the dark memories of a suicided mother, and a sister who fled years before. His friend Poe (a former high school football star, nowadays also hopeless, also a stupid intellectual, an uncaring paranoid) accompanies him for a bit. But there's an accidental killing, and Isaac can continue his escape while Poe's stuck with the murder charge. California is, in the end, an invisible utopia.
h2oetry's review against another edition
4.0
I began reading Philipp Meyer out of spite -- I read an interview in which he basically said “bring it on!” with regard to being compared to Pynchon, Barth, Gass etc. He was promoting his newer novel, The Son, but I wanted to start on this, his first novel, American Rust.
The novel was enjoyable even though the plot was pretty bleak. It meshes together many elements and tropes that’d make great stories unto themselves: dilemmas of friendship; small towns facing economic hardship; an unplanned killing; family responsibilities; etc.
Meyer attempts the difficult task of plumbing the inner minds of the various characters -- something I appreciate in novels. If I am given enough of a glimpse into the mentality of a character, then when his/her actions and motives envelop throughout the story it proves to be more satisfying. If I am merely told that so-and-so did such-and-such, it barely registers a “hmm” -- but when a character has toiled over something and is led to do/say/think/coverup/etc then it is fine writing. Sort of like Camus’ ‘The Stranger.’ Meyer pulled off this difficult task, although it did make for a tougher plot to follow along. You definitely have to give your full attention to the novel; it’s not hard to read or follow, but if you give it a half-hearted attempt, you’ll get a half-hearted response.
The novel was enjoyable even though the plot was pretty bleak. It meshes together many elements and tropes that’d make great stories unto themselves: dilemmas of friendship; small towns facing economic hardship; an unplanned killing; family responsibilities; etc.
Meyer attempts the difficult task of plumbing the inner minds of the various characters -- something I appreciate in novels. If I am given enough of a glimpse into the mentality of a character, then when his/her actions and motives envelop throughout the story it proves to be more satisfying. If I am merely told that so-and-so did such-and-such, it barely registers a “hmm” -- but when a character has toiled over something and is led to do/say/think/coverup/etc then it is fine writing. Sort of like Camus’ ‘The Stranger.’ Meyer pulled off this difficult task, although it did make for a tougher plot to follow along. You definitely have to give your full attention to the novel; it’s not hard to read or follow, but if you give it a half-hearted attempt, you’ll get a half-hearted response.
rendarm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5