One of the things I love about reading is being transported to a different place by the author’s words. Not gonna lie, sometimes they create really complicated worlds that I’d rather not try to breakdown, so I create a sub-world in their world to better enjoy the book.
A prime example? Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I absolutely love that book but all of the family members and different homes they occupied got to be a bit confusing so once I figured out who (most of) the characters were, I disregarded the book’s “locations” and created my own. Still, one of the best books I’ve read in quite a long time.
That being said, if I had to compile a list of these “best books,” I know exactly which one would sit right at the top: Curtis Sittenfeld’s American Wife. Her first two books focused on the journey of a woman from a young age into adulthood. American Wife starts out the same but takes some epic twists: Alice as a young girl, Alice starts to grow up, Alice kills her high school crush and emotionally spirals out of control, Alice ends up marrying the country’s president.
SO GOOD.
And here’s the kicker! I first bought it in hardcover, as I’d done with her first two novels, when it was originally released but actually returned it because I read the first page and thought “God, this is going to be a snoozer.” I waited until paperback and was still hesitant to spend money on it. I eventually did and then it sat in my trunk of books for over a year before I picked it up.
Sorry, Curtis. 🤷🏾♂️
Once I began reading, I immediately became connected with her characters. The story was simple enough but as you read above, things take some crazy ass turns. For instance, there’s a scene where it seems like everyone might die because a tornado is coming through town and let me just say that Charlie, the man who “sweeps Alice off her feet,” swept me off my feet as well with this scene. Check it.
Alice is at home alone and hiding in the basement of her apartment building. Suddenly, there’s a banging on the door and she thinks maybe it’s another tenant trying to get inside. She races up, throws the door open and it’s Charlie drenched to the bone. When she asks him what he was doing at her doorstep when the sky was opening up around them, this is his response:
“I decided we should get married,” he said. “No more of this running-through-the-rain shit. We should live in the same place, sleep in the same bed at night, wake up together in the morning, and whenever there’s a tornado, I can take care of you and watch baseball at the same time.”
Cheesy? I don’t give a shit. That’s romantic. If someone were to say that to me, I’d be all in, running to the chapel, screaming from the rooftops like a crazed banshee.
Through her numerous relationships, Charlie and all, the reader always knows exactly who Alice is. She stays fundamentally true to herself and that is something I think most of us strive for. She disagrees with her husband’s politics but she views love as more important and that’s that. Yes, they fight and sometimes I wondered if it would all go to shit because Sittenfeld had already dropped bombs without warning before in the book. Spoiler alert: they totally stay together forever and ever.
American Wife is one of those books that I actually did not want to end. Around the last fifty pages or so, I would take frequent breaks to extend my time with these characters. The supporting cast was just as expertly crafted as Alice and Charlie and with a story line that kept me guessing, it comes as no surprise that I hold this book in such a positive light.
Now, Curtis, I’m gonna need you to pump out another book. Thanks. Oh, and I’ll try my best to squeeze you into my schedule for coffee soon.
