Scan barcode
katiescho741's review against another edition
5.0
American War felt like an alternate history novel, except it's set in an imagined future. It seems to come under the topics of dystopia and science fiction but it's also something else entirely....it's a very modern novel about war on a grand scale. It's politically charged, with a theme of global warming, but it never feels like a lecture.
The big story is that America is at war with itself for the second time; the Northern states have a ban on petrol and fossil fuels, while the South wants to cling onto the old ways and keep their muscle cars. The little story is about the Chestnut family, centring on the youngest daughter Sarat. We are taken through Sarat's life and the timeline of events that lead up to the end of the war and the start of a plague. Sarat starts the book as a curious young girl living with her family in a shipping container in Louisiana and we watch her grow as a child of war and we know that what she becomes is inevitable.
American War flips everything on it's head and places the horrors of the wars in the Middle East in our time into the powerful and wealthy domain of North America instead. Families trying to live their lives are dragged into the fighting because it's happening in their backyards. Or they're sent to refugee camps until something better comes along. Suspects are sent to Detainment facilities where they are tortured and broken. Drones fly around attempting to target rebel fighters but they seem to hit civilians more often than not. It's eerie and terrifying because it feels so familiar.
The big story is that America is at war with itself for the second time; the Northern states have a ban on petrol and fossil fuels, while the South wants to cling onto the old ways and keep their muscle cars. The little story is about the Chestnut family, centring on the youngest daughter Sarat. We are taken through Sarat's life and the timeline of events that lead up to the end of the war and the start of a plague. Sarat starts the book as a curious young girl living with her family in a shipping container in Louisiana and we watch her grow as a child of war and we know that what she becomes is inevitable.
American War flips everything on it's head and places the horrors of the wars in the Middle East in our time into the powerful and wealthy domain of North America instead. Families trying to live their lives are dragged into the fighting because it's happening in their backyards. Or they're sent to refugee camps until something better comes along. Suspects are sent to Detainment facilities where they are tortured and broken. Drones fly around attempting to target rebel fighters but they seem to hit civilians more often than not. It's eerie and terrifying because it feels so familiar.
tlamsy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
chefjeng's review against another edition
5.0
Affecting and all too prophetic
Sarat is a complicated and unlikeable protagonist but nevertheless compelling. The circumstances depicted can be imagined all too readily in today's political and environmental climate. A highly recommended read for any cli-fi/dystopia fan.
Sarat is a complicated and unlikeable protagonist but nevertheless compelling. The circumstances depicted can be imagined all too readily in today's political and environmental climate. A highly recommended read for any cli-fi/dystopia fan.
barbarabarbara's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
kayteslibrary's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Torture
bookreviewswithkb's review against another edition
i am actually really sad to say i am not finishing this book. i think it is well written and i feel moved and compelled by the language. but i can’t see past the clear disregard of the history of the u.s.’s enslavement of Black people by basing this in a future of a 2nd american civil war between the south and the north and not one mention of slavery of Black people or white people’s interests of maintaining supremacy being a component of the south’s rebellion against the north
ellie_062's review
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
blankpagealex's review against another edition
4.0
I went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars on this one before landing on the higher rating, mainly because this book was very thought provoking and I found myself stewing on the ending for a very long time.
The notion here is a speculative scenario where a civil war has broken out over fossil fuels and the North has essentially defeated the South and now treats them almost exactly like America treats foreign nations during wartime. In this scenario we see the birth of a terrorist and the conditions that embolden someone to commit mass murder - not a political cause or a religion, but blind, and sometimes inexplicable hatred.
The metaphor of the injustices of an occupied country - internment, military rule, even torture - was a little bit of a stretch when applied to the American South and the idea that fossil fuel policy would cause them to revolt is laughable. Race is barely mentioned, which at first made me dislike the conceit of the novel altogether because it's impossible to imagine a new civil war that isn't driven by the same factors as the last one - racism, slavery, etc. However, the more I sat with it the more I felt that racism on its surface does not make inherent sense and essentially boils down to blind, inexplicable hatred - a driving force for some of the greatest atrocities in human history.
I think the feeling of discomfort that came with following a main character as they spiral into mass murder was the point and it made me frustrated, but intrigued and is therefore a worthy read.
The notion here is a speculative scenario where a civil war has broken out over fossil fuels and the North has essentially defeated the South and now treats them almost exactly like America treats foreign nations during wartime. In this scenario we see the birth of a terrorist and the conditions that embolden someone to commit mass murder - not a political cause or a religion, but blind, and sometimes inexplicable hatred.
The metaphor of the injustices of an occupied country - internment, military rule, even torture - was a little bit of a stretch when applied to the American South and the idea that fossil fuel policy would cause them to revolt is laughable. Race is barely mentioned, which at first made me dislike the conceit of the novel altogether because it's impossible to imagine a new civil war that isn't driven by the same factors as the last one - racism, slavery, etc. However, the more I sat with it the more I felt that racism on its surface does not make inherent sense and essentially boils down to blind, inexplicable hatred - a driving force for some of the greatest atrocities in human history.
I think the feeling of discomfort that came with following a main character as they spiral into mass murder was the point and it made me frustrated, but intrigued and is therefore a worthy read.
bonfeld's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, and War