The Plot Against America - Philip Roth
Synopsis: "When the renowned aviation hero and rabid isolationist Charles A. Lindbergh defeated Franklin Roosevelt by a landslide in the 1940 presidential election, fear invaded every Jewish household in America. Not only had Lindbergh, in a nationwide radio address, publicly blamed the Jews for selfishly pushing America toward a pointless war with Nazi Germany, but upon taking office as the thirty-third president of the United States, he negotiated a cordial "understanding" with Adolf Hitler, whose conquest of Europe and virulent anti-Semitic policies he appeared to accept without difficulty.
What then followed in America is the historical setting for this startling new book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Philip Roth, who recounts what it was like for his Newark family — and for a million such families all over the country — during the menacing years of the Lindbergh presidency, when American citizens who happened to be Jews had every reason to expect the worst" - Goodreads
This is the first book by Philip Roth that I have ever read. I must say that it was fantastic. More so than fantastic. It was harrowing, hopeful, and frighteningly real. Philip Roth takes you into the personal lives of a Jewish family living in the 1930s. They are an ordinary group of people that one could meet today. The 1940 election is between Charles A Lindbergh and Franklin Roosevelt. To the family's surprise Charles A Lindbergh wins, and in a single evening, their whole world is turned upside down.
Each character in the book has a specific role that they take on. Either they're for or against Lindbergh and his policies, and the reader sees their relationships deteriorate or develop with family members and strangers alike and what consequences these relationships bring into their lives.
The book is told from the perspective of young Philip. This viewpoint not only allows Philip Roth to bring to life the confusion of the 1940 election. It also allows the reader to feel the helplessness that these people endure. The viewpoint also enables this book and the events that arise in this book to feel real and as if these events would happen imminently in the readers' own world.
The word choice that Philip Roth uses is simple yet effective to keep the reader wanting more and never knowing what would happen. The storyline is somewhat unpredictable, though there are some moments where the readers know exactly what would happen. However, when one doesn't, the words buckle you to your seats, and you don't want to resist. Instead, you want more and more, hoping and praying that the story has a good outcome.
That is the thing with this story- it makes you, the reader, feel as if you were a part of this rollercoaster ride. It makes the events seem probable ( maybe even relatable to things that are happening today in the 21st century).
Maybe, just maybe, like 1984 by George Orwell, this book was written as a warning, and not a guide.
Rating: 9/10
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