American Wife

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
Published by Black Swan
Price £7.99
ISBN 987-0-552-77554-0

This book appeared on my shelf of ‘books to read’ and I cannot remember where it came from (it’s not a book that has been lent to me by a friend or family member as they go on the ‘borrowed books’ shelf) I read it whilst I’ve been travelling round Europe and found it to be very much in the current moment despite it having been written in 2008.

Alice is married to the president of America and this book is the tale of how she got to be there. It addresses the way Americans elect their president and certainly gave me a better insight into their incomprehensible systems. Alice has conflicting views to her husband and his political party and she has an inner struggle to equate loving someone who makes policies that she cannot agree with.

The book starts off in the mid-fifties in Wisconsin, where Alice, her mother and father and grandma all live together, her parents are quiet, go to church regularly and don’t draw attention to themselves whereas her grandma posses a ‘rowdy streak’ and likes to lie on her bed reading and smoking rather than helping with the household duties. At this point I can’t decide whether to drop in a spoiler or not – ah what heck; Grandma turns out to be a lesbian, but that isn’t the turning point of the story – that is a terrible incident which shapes Alice’s future in way no-one could have predicted.

Alice becomes a school librarian, meets Charlie whose family life is at the opposite end of the spectrum to hers, they’re rich, comfortable in their noisy get–togethers. Charlie has many faults – he doesn’t really understand politics and policy making, he’s not the brightest button in the box and his careless taking Alice for granted is not the stuff of book heroes, but he carries a certain down to earth charm which makes the public love him.

The story addresses unwanted pregnancy, class, race, the allowances people have to make in a marriage, politics, small town American values, it really is an absorbing book. I love the way Alice undermines her husbands’ wishes in such a quiet way – especially towards the end of the book when America is divided over the Afghanistan war, then right at the end Alice shares a secret with the reader and you really do wonder if any real presidents wives have done the same thing.

It’s a well written, thoughtful book, and doesn’t do anything to recommend the position of being wife of the President of the USA!

Reviews by Dianne Blashill
dmblashill@hotmail.co.uk

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