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American Subversive: A Novel
Aidan Cole and his friends are a band of savvy—if cynical—New York journalists and bloggers, thriving at the intersection of media and celebrity. They meet at loft parties and dive bars, talking of scoops and page views, sexual adventures and new restaurants. And then, without warning, a bomb rips through a deserted midtown office tower, and Aidan’s life will never be the same.
Four days later, with no arrests and a city on edge, an anonymous e-mail arrives in Aidan’s inbox. Attached is the photograph of an attractive young white woman, along with a chilling “This is Paige Roderick. She’s the one responsible.”
An astonishing debut novel, American Subversive is a “genuinely thrilling thriller” (NewYorker.com) as well as “an exploration of what motivates radicalism in an age of disillusion” ( The New York Times Book Review ).
Four days later, with no arrests and a city on edge, an anonymous e-mail arrives in Aidan’s inbox. Attached is the photograph of an attractive young white woman, along with a chilling “This is Paige Roderick. She’s the one responsible.”
An astonishing debut novel, American Subversive is a “genuinely thrilling thriller” (NewYorker.com) as well as “an exploration of what motivates radicalism in an age of disillusion” ( The New York Times Book Review ).
336 pages, Paperback
First published April 20, 2010
19 people are currently reading
714 people want to read
About the author
David Goodwillie
7 books106 followersDavid Goodwillie is the author of the novels KINGS COUNTY (forthcoming 7/28/20) and AMERICAN SUBVERSIVE, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, along with the memoir SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME. Goodwillie has written about books for The New York Times and The Daily Beast, and his nonfiction has appeared in New York magazine, Newsweek, and Popular Science. He has also been drafted to play professional baseball, worked as a private investigator, and was an expert at Sotheby’s auction house. A graduate of Kenyon College, he lives in Brooklyn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
June 29, 2021
Sadly this didn't work for. Wasn't the suspenseful intense read I had hoped for and wasn't really invested in any of the characters or plot. I need a book to grab me or else I'll lose focus on the important things and get less and less invested in it.
May 10, 2010
American Subversive is a book about belief turned inside-out. It's an intelligent and literary thriller, a thought-provoking peek into America's dark soul, and a veritable page turner. It's also the debut book for David Goodwillie, an author who is up to the task of unearthing the country's seductive roots.
The dual protagonists/narrators are Aidan Cole, a member of the chattering class, who blogs for Roorback, ("a roorback is a defamatory falsehood published for political effect") and Paige Roderick, an attractive idealist who is involved in an act of domestic terrorism at the midtown Manhattan location of Barney's. One late night, at a glitterati party following this act, Aidan checks his email to view an image of a woman crossing Madison Avenue (the site of the bombing) with the words, "This is Paige Roderick. She's the one responsible."
But Goodwillie is too good to settle for a "who-done-it" thriller. He delves deeply into his characters to reveal two alienated and unmoored thirty-somethings who are dealing with a profound disillusionment based on divorce, death, a country that lost its way, and friendships that easily turn into betrayals.
Paige turns to domestic radicalism after the wasteful death of her brother Bobby in Iraq. She says,"Do you really want to know my worldview? Because it's pretty bleak these days. Everything I once saw as a problem with others -- the numbness, the detachment, the disillusionment that came with being American -- everything I once sought to fix...I'm coming now to feel myself." And Aidan? His transformation is less organic. He reflects, "A decade had passed in the back of countless cabs, at fancy dinners and midnight pizzerias; the drug dipping and surprisingly functional alcoholism that consumed our days and destroyed our mornings; nothing stimulating nothing surprising, our thirties spread out before us like our twenties, but with lessons unlearned."
There is a sadness in these characters, a lack of connection that makes them ripe for subversion. Aidan's emptiness and ennui primes him for a connection with Paige, who is intense and filled with purpose -- everything he is not, although interestingly, they are more intriguing characters alone and not together. Neither fall into stock stereotypes; rather, they are two-dimensional with distinct voices and a great deal of vulnerability. Only in the last 50 or so pages does the authorial voice intercede, momentarily reminding the reader that Goodwillie is creating these characters and pulling the strings.
I read this book right after NYC dodged a bullet with a Times Square car bombing, and gasped at how unwittingly prophetic this book really is. It's a spot-on view of not only domestic terrorism, but a jaded Manhattan at the bulls-eye of today's digital age. (4.5)
The dual protagonists/narrators are Aidan Cole, a member of the chattering class, who blogs for Roorback, ("a roorback is a defamatory falsehood published for political effect") and Paige Roderick, an attractive idealist who is involved in an act of domestic terrorism at the midtown Manhattan location of Barney's. One late night, at a glitterati party following this act, Aidan checks his email to view an image of a woman crossing Madison Avenue (the site of the bombing) with the words, "This is Paige Roderick. She's the one responsible."
But Goodwillie is too good to settle for a "who-done-it" thriller. He delves deeply into his characters to reveal two alienated and unmoored thirty-somethings who are dealing with a profound disillusionment based on divorce, death, a country that lost its way, and friendships that easily turn into betrayals.
Paige turns to domestic radicalism after the wasteful death of her brother Bobby in Iraq. She says,"Do you really want to know my worldview? Because it's pretty bleak these days. Everything I once saw as a problem with others -- the numbness, the detachment, the disillusionment that came with being American -- everything I once sought to fix...I'm coming now to feel myself." And Aidan? His transformation is less organic. He reflects, "A decade had passed in the back of countless cabs, at fancy dinners and midnight pizzerias; the drug dipping and surprisingly functional alcoholism that consumed our days and destroyed our mornings; nothing stimulating nothing surprising, our thirties spread out before us like our twenties, but with lessons unlearned."
There is a sadness in these characters, a lack of connection that makes them ripe for subversion. Aidan's emptiness and ennui primes him for a connection with Paige, who is intense and filled with purpose -- everything he is not, although interestingly, they are more intriguing characters alone and not together. Neither fall into stock stereotypes; rather, they are two-dimensional with distinct voices and a great deal of vulnerability. Only in the last 50 or so pages does the authorial voice intercede, momentarily reminding the reader that Goodwillie is creating these characters and pulling the strings.
I read this book right after NYC dodged a bullet with a Times Square car bombing, and gasped at how unwittingly prophetic this book really is. It's a spot-on view of not only domestic terrorism, but a jaded Manhattan at the bulls-eye of today's digital age. (4.5)
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May 21, 2010Based on several excellent advance reviews, I reserved a copy of "American Subversive" at the library. Big mistake. Supposedly a thriller about home-grown terrorists, I found the writing to be pedestrian, the characters vapid and the plot not to believed. I wasn't thrilled and stopped after sixty pages. You could save time by not even starting it--but that's what horse races are all about.
September 9, 2010
Maybe I ask too much of books. Maybe I'd just like a story to be believable, and for authors not to rewrite history.
I enjoyed this book at first, although I was repeatedly frustrated by Goodwillie's portrayal of Paige, the activist, and the history he gives (through her) of the WTO protests, Earth Liberation Front, etc. For example, according to the book, at the WTO, the cops only started firing teargas after getting pelted with rocks and such. Uh, not. Also, the black bloc folks smashed in the windows of Starbucks mainly because they were hungry.
Also, Paige is quickly recruited to start doing covert direct action by people she doesn't really know that well--friends of her deceased brother. They just quickly open up to her and let her in. Unrealistic. And it's also unbelievable that she goes underground so quickly, leaving her grieving parents behind, after having quit her job to spend more time with them. As a reader, I only got the sense that she cared about the environment (she had worked for an environmental non-profit), and was good at the covert direct action. Yes, she was upset about the death of her brother in the war, but I feel like I wasn't shown the process of how she came to take more radical actions.
However, the character of the journalist is well-developed, and I like Goodwillie's description of the journalist's life in Manhattan a lot more. It appears that Goodwillie is just better at writing what he knows. That said, I found his actions rather unbelievable.
All that said, it was a decent read, though I skimmed through to the end when it got a bit over-the-top for my taste.
I enjoyed this book at first, although I was repeatedly frustrated by Goodwillie's portrayal of Paige, the activist, and the history he gives (through her) of the WTO protests, Earth Liberation Front, etc. For example, according to the book, at the WTO, the cops only started firing teargas after getting pelted with rocks and such. Uh, not. Also, the black bloc folks smashed in the windows of Starbucks mainly because they were hungry.
Also, Paige is quickly recruited to start doing covert direct action by people she doesn't really know that well--friends of her deceased brother. They just quickly open up to her and let her in. Unrealistic. And it's also unbelievable that she goes underground so quickly, leaving her grieving parents behind, after having quit her job to spend more time with them. As a reader, I only got the sense that she cared about the environment (she had worked for an environmental non-profit), and was good at the covert direct action. Yes, she was upset about the death of her brother in the war, but I feel like I wasn't shown the process of how she came to take more radical actions.
However, the character of the journalist is well-developed, and I like Goodwillie's description of the journalist's life in Manhattan a lot more. It appears that Goodwillie is just better at writing what he knows. That said, I found his actions rather unbelievable.
All that said, it was a decent read, though I skimmed through to the end when it got a bit over-the-top for my taste.
April 25, 2021
American Subversive is Goodwillie's debut novel-- so I'll start with the positives. The novel is a well-written page-turner. Goodwillie is very efficient in his language, and the dialog really flows.
Unfortunately, I hated every single character in this book. It was extremely difficult to identify with self-absorbed hipsters and terrorists. I didn't care about the people, ergo I didn't care about the story.
I'll try to summarize the plot without spoiling the story:
Unlikeable counter-culture terrorist chick (Paige) blows shit up in NYC. Unlikeable hipster blogger (Aiden) searches for Paige, using his journalistic skills. NYC hipsters are mopey and apathetic after 9/11. Aiden is obsessed with Paige because she represents the anger and action that NYC hipsters have been repressing. Aiden's friends are unlikeable trust fund kids, and Paige's acquaintances are terrorists-- and I was kinda hoping they'd all get blown up. Instead, they compete to see who can build the grandest political soapbox. Lots of talking. And more talking.
Goodwillie's future is bright, and I may even pick up his next novel. Unfortunately, I loathed Paige and Aiden-- but I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy this novel--especially those who identify with counter-culture politics or the hipster scene.
Unfortunately, I hated every single character in this book. It was extremely difficult to identify with self-absorbed hipsters and terrorists. I didn't care about the people, ergo I didn't care about the story.
I'll try to summarize the plot without spoiling the story:
Unlikeable counter-culture terrorist chick (Paige) blows shit up in NYC. Unlikeable hipster blogger (Aiden) searches for Paige, using his journalistic skills. NYC hipsters are mopey and apathetic after 9/11. Aiden is obsessed with Paige because she represents the anger and action that NYC hipsters have been repressing. Aiden's friends are unlikeable trust fund kids, and Paige's acquaintances are terrorists-- and I was kinda hoping they'd all get blown up. Instead, they compete to see who can build the grandest political soapbox. Lots of talking. And more talking.
Goodwillie's future is bright, and I may even pick up his next novel. Unfortunately, I loathed Paige and Aiden-- but I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy this novel--especially those who identify with counter-culture politics or the hipster scene.
April 5, 2010
As you might expect from a political thriller, American Subversive is fast paced, gripping and a serious page turner. Now, I'm not a thriller kind of girl but this book is un-freaking-believable. Seriously. The concept is so timely (blogging and terrorism) and I actually found it easy to relate to the main characters (Goodwillie writes from the perspective of a woman - how cool is that?).
The relationship between said characters (two narrators: blogger and terrorist) is complicated but innocent, with intertwining facets you find yourself constantly thinking about long after the final page.
Aidan, failed journalism student turned gossip blogger on a site that eerily resembles Gawker, is both completely unlikeable (but with good intentions) and the kind of protagonist you root for from beginning to end. Paige, a very sad but very determined eco-terrorist is responsible for turning 2010 Manhattan into chaos. It's horribly familiar to those of us who lived through 9/11, which makes it a relevant and necessary read.
As a fun side note, I hear Aidan's blog (Roorback.com) is actually being turned into a real site... stay tuned...
The relationship between said characters (two narrators: blogger and terrorist) is complicated but innocent, with intertwining facets you find yourself constantly thinking about long after the final page.
Aidan, failed journalism student turned gossip blogger on a site that eerily resembles Gawker, is both completely unlikeable (but with good intentions) and the kind of protagonist you root for from beginning to end. Paige, a very sad but very determined eco-terrorist is responsible for turning 2010 Manhattan into chaos. It's horribly familiar to those of us who lived through 9/11, which makes it a relevant and necessary read.
As a fun side note, I hear Aidan's blog (Roorback.com) is actually being turned into a real site... stay tuned...
May 20, 2010
Paige Roderick's brother dies while serving in Iraq, and this event jars her to such an extent that first she becomes an activist, then a revolutionary. She joins a small cell that plans Actions, i.e. bombings, which are not intended to kill, but to draw attention to the target, which would be some corporation, and thereby expose its misdeeds, and through that process alone put a stop to them.
Aidan Cole is a thirty-something Manhattanite, living a self-absorbed life, working as a blogger who comments on the media, and partying the nights away with others of his ilk. He is friends with a rich South American playboy, and he is in the middle of breaking up with his girlfriend, although he does not yet fully realize that. Then, out of the blue, he gets an anonymous e-mail identifying a culprit in a recent terrorist bombing in New York City. Attached to the email is a photograph, showing a young woman, Paige Roderick, as she is crossing the street outside the site of the bombing, the Barney's building. Instead of immediately posting the picture on his blog, he decides to investigate and try to find the woman.
The book then describes how this decision affects Aidan's life. At the beginning of the book, we see that he and Paige are in hiding in separate locations, fugitives from the authorities, and what we are reading has been written by each of them to explain how they got to that point. The book alternates between the writings of each of them, occasionally jumping forward to showing Aidan in hiding.
I found the book very enjoyable and engrossing. The only problem that I have with it was that it occasionally becomes a monologue, with one of the characters speaking at length to describe a history or to state a political viewpoint. I found this technique to be annoying.
Aidan Cole is a thirty-something Manhattanite, living a self-absorbed life, working as a blogger who comments on the media, and partying the nights away with others of his ilk. He is friends with a rich South American playboy, and he is in the middle of breaking up with his girlfriend, although he does not yet fully realize that. Then, out of the blue, he gets an anonymous e-mail identifying a culprit in a recent terrorist bombing in New York City. Attached to the email is a photograph, showing a young woman, Paige Roderick, as she is crossing the street outside the site of the bombing, the Barney's building. Instead of immediately posting the picture on his blog, he decides to investigate and try to find the woman.
The book then describes how this decision affects Aidan's life. At the beginning of the book, we see that he and Paige are in hiding in separate locations, fugitives from the authorities, and what we are reading has been written by each of them to explain how they got to that point. The book alternates between the writings of each of them, occasionally jumping forward to showing Aidan in hiding.
I found the book very enjoyable and engrossing. The only problem that I have with it was that it occasionally becomes a monologue, with one of the characters speaking at length to describe a history or to state a political viewpoint. I found this technique to be annoying.
July 1, 2010
From the very beginning of this story, Goodwillie catches his readers up in a sense of intrigue and secrecy, at the heart of which are real human characters. The distinguishing element of this novel, for me, is the honesty with which it seems to be written. Goodwillie seems to reveal essential truths about what it is to be human, to be emotionally driven, to be idealistic, and to discover love through respect. Furthermore, this books presents a subtle commentary throughout on what it means to be an American, what America stands for and should represent.
For all its theoretical, reflective and intellectually stimulating content, American Subversive tells a whopping good story. It is engaging, entertaining and well-crafted. The narrative construction is original and well-suited to the story presented.
I loved this book, and I loved it more for how unexpectedly great it was in so many little ways. I would recommend this to everyone!
July 15, 2010
After reading the synopsis, I was really excited about this book. It didn't disappoint through the first two thirds, either.
Most of the time, a book with action as the centerpoint, like action movies these days, has to go over the top. I appreciated that the author thought enough of the audience not to go to extremes. The action in the book is realistic and while violent, doesn't involve killing scores of people to be effective. Too, it can be argued that the action is a mere sidebar and the real story is the two main characters and their reasons for becoming 'American Subversives'.
However, there's a couple problems with the book - and perhaps they can be attributed to the fact that it is a first novel. One of the main characters decides, after a very insignificant incident (though the author tries to play up that significance), to abandon his ideals and go to extremes. True, the author tries to show later on that perhaps that change wasn't so sudden and had been evolving, but I wasn't convinced of that at all.
The other, and far more bothersome, problem is the dialog, especially during scenes where characters try to explain their reasonings and past. No one speaks the way they do in these long drawn-out monologues. It simply wasn't believable. I was going to copy/paste some examples, but there's not much point. It's not so bad as to overshadow the entire book, but it's pretty bad in places.
Worth reading? Really, that's the only question in the end. Was it worth the time? Sure. I'd read another novel by the same author as well. I hope, however, that the next novel is a little more seasoned and edited and the characters and dialog a bit more developed.
Most of the time, a book with action as the centerpoint, like action movies these days, has to go over the top. I appreciated that the author thought enough of the audience not to go to extremes. The action in the book is realistic and while violent, doesn't involve killing scores of people to be effective. Too, it can be argued that the action is a mere sidebar and the real story is the two main characters and their reasons for becoming 'American Subversives'.
However, there's a couple problems with the book - and perhaps they can be attributed to the fact that it is a first novel. One of the main characters decides, after a very insignificant incident (though the author tries to play up that significance), to abandon his ideals and go to extremes. True, the author tries to show later on that perhaps that change wasn't so sudden and had been evolving, but I wasn't convinced of that at all.
The other, and far more bothersome, problem is the dialog, especially during scenes where characters try to explain their reasonings and past. No one speaks the way they do in these long drawn-out monologues. It simply wasn't believable. I was going to copy/paste some examples, but there's not much point. It's not so bad as to overshadow the entire book, but it's pretty bad in places.
Worth reading? Really, that's the only question in the end. Was it worth the time? Sure. I'd read another novel by the same author as well. I hope, however, that the next novel is a little more seasoned and edited and the characters and dialog a bit more developed.
August 20, 2010
I knew I was the target audience for this book when i read the NYT review, but I wasn't prepared for the sheer quality of the narrative drive and the appeal of the characters and story. This is the story of a contemporary pseudo-hipster blogger in New York who gets tied up with an alleged radical via a mysterious email with a photo. He begins a search that transforms his life, and for us, the reader: we must know what the fuck happened! Like a whodunit, more like a whodunnit-and-why. Texture, vibe, cultural references --- all spot on. The nostalgia factor was also big for me. A top read this year. Excellent.
December 14, 2010
I was quite pleased with the pace, plotting and writing of this book until the end. Then, I fear it rather fizzles out. So my rating was a strong 4 stars until the end, when it dropped a bit. I think, overall, the book was a worthy one, and I will leave it at 4 stars just for the readability and freshness of the subject matter. The chapters go back and forth between Aiden, a blogger and party guy, and Paige, a beautiful, disenchanted home-grown terrorist. Their lives will intersect and in-between the reader learns a lot about the plotting and planning of these terrorist "actions" (as they are called in the book). There's some love in the air also.
June 17, 2010
About young twenty somethings who are so disillusioned with America that they become part of revolutionary groups a la the Weathermen of the 60's and 70's.
I found this very thought provoking. It makes me think about our country today and the spoiled young people who have a me-first attitude while they accumulate stuff at the cost of the environment to benefit the fat cats of business. Sometimes it's good to see a few revolutionaries who want to shine a light on issues to help wake up the complacent Americans.
I found this very thought provoking. It makes me think about our country today and the spoiled young people who have a me-first attitude while they accumulate stuff at the cost of the environment to benefit the fat cats of business. Sometimes it's good to see a few revolutionaries who want to shine a light on issues to help wake up the complacent Americans.
January 30, 2011
There are some pithy descriptions of NYC, and, since I am teaching a NYC lit and history class at the moment, I found myself to be especially tuned in to these moments:
"There was a velocity to the city, a careening inevitability that became addictive. Everyone I knew felt it--the great rush of plans and possibilities--and we lived accordingly. What was it exactly? It was everything vibrating at once" (173).
As I think about moving out of the city in the next couple of months, I do feel that I will miss this velocity.
"There was a velocity to the city, a careening inevitability that became addictive. Everyone I knew felt it--the great rush of plans and possibilities--and we lived accordingly. What was it exactly? It was everything vibrating at once" (173).
As I think about moving out of the city in the next couple of months, I do feel that I will miss this velocity.
August 9, 2010
Liked it, even though it felt kaind of amateur. And the author got his facts wrong - the parents of the protgaonist supposedly met when they were juniors together at Yale at a time when Yale was not co-ed. And one of the minor characters could be me, reduced to the stereotype of which I am a member. But this last is maybe why I liked it - a hint of how my kids' see my generation.
The story, about eco-terrorists, moves along, the characters were believable to me. Good quick read.
The story, about eco-terrorists, moves along, the characters were believable to me. Good quick read.
August 21, 2011
A disappointed idealist turned terrorist, and a New York blogger on her tracks. A gripping read that jumps back and forth in time, suggesting that not all Americans are willing to settle for rich, fat and happy. A Kenyon College graduate, the author worked as a private investigator and as dot com and Sotheby's worker, building up experiences that ground the book in reality.
June 11, 2010
This was a fast paced fun thriller with more of a message than I thought. The ending was done really well - I couldn't imagine how the author was going to pull off the ending (and thought for sure I would be disappointed) but it was very well done.
December 11, 2010
Finishing a novel is a significant accomplishment for me. Finishing it in two days is exceptional. This first novel by David Goodwillie is a page-turner for sure: compelling characters and dialogue, and the whole milieu is very today. Recommended.
February 13, 2011
A decent story, glammed-up for probable cinematic adaptation with just enough forward propulsion that you will probably enjoy it in spite of its absurd plot twists, hilariously improbable characterizations and multiple, suspension-of-disbelief-shattering factual errors.
December 21, 2018
I wrote this novel with David Goodwillie, and it should have been made into a MAJOR MOTION PICTURE a long time ago. I went to high school with the real life Paige Roderick, and I hope she found and liked the book. If you went to Shaw High I've planted your name in a book somewhere. Smile.
December 22, 2010
meh. entertaining but overreaching.
April 16, 2012
This is a book of big ideas and missed opportunities. Author David Goodwillie takes on serious topics, but, while he does make contact, he doesn't hit it out of the park. Instead, he pokes it softly over the first baseman's head.
The story begins just after a bombing in midtown Manhattan, and the city is still reeling, and searching for culprits. Protagonist Aidan Cole, a blogger who parties with the media elite, receives an anonymous tip pointing him toward the perpetrators of the bombing, and the story is set in motion. The narrative bounces back in forth in dual first-person between Aidan and Paige Roderick, a member of the radical group behind the bombing. The story traces Aidan's amateur sleuthing and Paige's falling-in with domestic terrorists, with occasional detours to the aftermath, which finds Paige and Aidan holed up in safe houses somewhere, recounting the tale.
The book is set up nicely to explore a lot of interesting ideas, but never really delves too deeply into any of them. Perhaps it was too ambitious, trying to fit all these big ideas on its plate along with two narrators worth of character development, a mystery/thriller feel, and flashes of a love story, all while clocking in at just over 300 pages. It frustratingly fails to live up to its potential, but I suppose it's better to read a flawed but ambitious book than a flawlessly complacent book.
One of the major selling points of the book is that it explores the roots of domestic terrorism. But it doesn't really. Paige has a root cause for her dissatisfaction with her country -- her brother died in Iraq -- but the book doesn't really spend a lot of time examining why her dissatisfaction has manifested itself so violently. Aidan, meanwhile, abandons all logic to attempt to single-handedly track down these domestic terrorists rather than turn this tip over to the police or to his New York Times reporter girlfriend, and his motivations for doing so are never quite clear. The closest we get to an explanation is that he's bored with his superficial lifestyle, but again this idea is merely glanced at. Bret Easton Ellis this book is not.
There are countless big ideas the book could have explored in depth but didn't. The book features one character who is a blogging media critic and one who is part of a radical group that sees the mainstream media -- and especially a fictitious Fox News clone -- as an enemy, and yet the opportunity to create a scathing critique of mainstream media is ignored. The opportunity to explore Americans' complicity via complacency, while the government wages unjust wars and hands the wheel to corporations, is largely ignored. The narrator's best friend is a wealthy Venezuelan-American with ties to the revolution, but the opportunity to compare American social and political movements to those in South America -- a continent that has seen its fair share of revolutions -- is largely ignored. And so it goes. The more I think about this book, the more I think about how great it could have been if it really put its back into it. And while missing all these opportunities, the author does manage to shoehorn in a pretty unnecessary bit of romance, succumbing to the frustratingly common pattern of male narrators wanting to nail every woman they encounter, going from zero to "I love you" in the time it takes them to describe a woman's tits.
Admirably, the book does not take sides and does not become polemical. But in a way this is also a weakness. Rather than argue from all perspectives simultaneously and leave it to the reader to sort them out, it argues from no perspectives. Sure, the argument against terrorism is pretty obvious, but it's odd that no one in the book really makes it. Similarly, it's odd that not much of an argument is made for violence, either. There are some conversations of the "nothing will change unless we take action" variety, but they don't get too deeply into details before violence is arrived at as the best option. Rather than have the characters justify their actions with argument, the author imposes an implausible reality where violence is actually effective. In every instance, the radicals find some target -- say, a big corporation that's polluting behind the public's back -- attack it, and then sit back and watch as the aftermath of the attack leads to media scrutiny of the target, followed by legal investigations into the newly exposed wrongdoing, and then, ultimately, justice. The radicals really are changing the world. It isn't that the radicals have a naive "we're going to change things" mentality that doesn't jibe with reality. They actually are changing the world in exactly the way they expect.
I do not require a book like this to preach to me, to tell me what to think. Frankly, I prefer that it doesn't. But what it should do is examine all the facets of the issue at hand in all their complexity, and let me figure out what to make of it all. On this front, the book falls a bit flat. It's a testament to the book that I'm as frustrated with it as I am. There is a great book in here, it just didn't quite make it onto the page.
The story begins just after a bombing in midtown Manhattan, and the city is still reeling, and searching for culprits. Protagonist Aidan Cole, a blogger who parties with the media elite, receives an anonymous tip pointing him toward the perpetrators of the bombing, and the story is set in motion. The narrative bounces back in forth in dual first-person between Aidan and Paige Roderick, a member of the radical group behind the bombing. The story traces Aidan's amateur sleuthing and Paige's falling-in with domestic terrorists, with occasional detours to the aftermath, which finds Paige and Aidan holed up in safe houses somewhere, recounting the tale.
The book is set up nicely to explore a lot of interesting ideas, but never really delves too deeply into any of them. Perhaps it was too ambitious, trying to fit all these big ideas on its plate along with two narrators worth of character development, a mystery/thriller feel, and flashes of a love story, all while clocking in at just over 300 pages. It frustratingly fails to live up to its potential, but I suppose it's better to read a flawed but ambitious book than a flawlessly complacent book.
One of the major selling points of the book is that it explores the roots of domestic terrorism. But it doesn't really. Paige has a root cause for her dissatisfaction with her country -- her brother died in Iraq -- but the book doesn't really spend a lot of time examining why her dissatisfaction has manifested itself so violently. Aidan, meanwhile, abandons all logic to attempt to single-handedly track down these domestic terrorists rather than turn this tip over to the police or to his New York Times reporter girlfriend, and his motivations for doing so are never quite clear. The closest we get to an explanation is that he's bored with his superficial lifestyle, but again this idea is merely glanced at. Bret Easton Ellis this book is not.
There are countless big ideas the book could have explored in depth but didn't. The book features one character who is a blogging media critic and one who is part of a radical group that sees the mainstream media -- and especially a fictitious Fox News clone -- as an enemy, and yet the opportunity to create a scathing critique of mainstream media is ignored. The opportunity to explore Americans' complicity via complacency, while the government wages unjust wars and hands the wheel to corporations, is largely ignored. The narrator's best friend is a wealthy Venezuelan-American with ties to the revolution, but the opportunity to compare American social and political movements to those in South America -- a continent that has seen its fair share of revolutions -- is largely ignored. And so it goes. The more I think about this book, the more I think about how great it could have been if it really put its back into it. And while missing all these opportunities, the author does manage to shoehorn in a pretty unnecessary bit of romance, succumbing to the frustratingly common pattern of male narrators wanting to nail every woman they encounter, going from zero to "I love you" in the time it takes them to describe a woman's tits.
Admirably, the book does not take sides and does not become polemical. But in a way this is also a weakness. Rather than argue from all perspectives simultaneously and leave it to the reader to sort them out, it argues from no perspectives. Sure, the argument against terrorism is pretty obvious, but it's odd that no one in the book really makes it. Similarly, it's odd that not much of an argument is made for violence, either. There are some conversations of the "nothing will change unless we take action" variety, but they don't get too deeply into details before violence is arrived at as the best option. Rather than have the characters justify their actions with argument, the author imposes an implausible reality where violence is actually effective. In every instance, the radicals find some target -- say, a big corporation that's polluting behind the public's back -- attack it, and then sit back and watch as the aftermath of the attack leads to media scrutiny of the target, followed by legal investigations into the newly exposed wrongdoing, and then, ultimately, justice. The radicals really are changing the world. It isn't that the radicals have a naive "we're going to change things" mentality that doesn't jibe with reality. They actually are changing the world in exactly the way they expect.
I do not require a book like this to preach to me, to tell me what to think. Frankly, I prefer that it doesn't. But what it should do is examine all the facets of the issue at hand in all their complexity, and let me figure out what to make of it all. On this front, the book falls a bit flat. It's a testament to the book that I'm as frustrated with it as I am. There is a great book in here, it just didn't quite make it onto the page.
May 19, 2010
4.5 stars (when will GoodReads give us the option of half stars?)
I first found out about this book courtesy of its appearance in New York Magazine's "culture matrix" on their back pages, the title with a brief description of a "literary thriller/beach read" hybrid. As I looked into it further, it was being touted as "the next Glamorama". I love me a literary thriller, and 'Glamorama' is among my favorite books of all time, so this was a no-brainer purchase. Very satisfying after the let down of my previous read!
Immediately, though, I must disagree with some of the notions that drew me to the book to begin with. "Beach read"? I'd say not- I have encountered few beach reads with this much substance... yes, too thought provoking. And I'd say only the vaguest of details draw a resemblance to 'Glamorama'. There were some great cultural references inside, and a few more things straight out of a BEE novel (for instance, one of the secondary characters has a last name of Touche... that got me; so did the scattered descriptions of main character Aidan Cole's childhood of privilege), but otherwise, two completely separate books, one very dark satire, the other, well, more substantial, like I mentioned before.
On paper, the notion of dueling stories written by Aidan Cole, uber blogger-turned-refugee, and Paige Roderick, whose brother's death in Iraq led her to change paths from trying to change the world via NYC or DC think thanks to trying to change the world with planned acts of violence, seems hokey, but it actually plays out very well. Goodwillie presents us with two very well rounded, three dimensional protagonists- it's amazing that two such disparate and clear voices coexist so well in the same book. I enjoyed the back and forth. Even many of the secondary characters- parents, friends- were so well rounded.. and in a mere 300+ pages, seems amazing to think back on how much was squeezed in without being crammed.
I loved 85% of the story-- the last character I expected to be EmpiresFalls was Simon, but while I was happy that the book kept me in the dark so clearly, I also was somewhat confused how this character came from almost nowhere and was suddenly such a major player. This worked, for the most part... but it was almost a bit farfetched.
As a New Yorker, a last detail I want to mention is the exquisite detail woven in about neighborhoods, streets, characters, places to be seen, etc. New York is another secondary character in this book, and I can think of few novels that really know their way so intimately around these streets- Chinatown, Lower East Side, Chelsea. Impressive.
I first found out about this book courtesy of its appearance in New York Magazine's "culture matrix" on their back pages, the title with a brief description of a "literary thriller/beach read" hybrid. As I looked into it further, it was being touted as "the next Glamorama". I love me a literary thriller, and 'Glamorama' is among my favorite books of all time, so this was a no-brainer purchase. Very satisfying after the let down of my previous read!
Immediately, though, I must disagree with some of the notions that drew me to the book to begin with. "Beach read"? I'd say not- I have encountered few beach reads with this much substance... yes, too thought provoking. And I'd say only the vaguest of details draw a resemblance to 'Glamorama'. There were some great cultural references inside, and a few more things straight out of a BEE novel (for instance, one of the secondary characters has a last name of Touche... that got me; so did the scattered descriptions of main character Aidan Cole's childhood of privilege), but otherwise, two completely separate books, one very dark satire, the other, well, more substantial, like I mentioned before.
On paper, the notion of dueling stories written by Aidan Cole, uber blogger-turned-refugee, and Paige Roderick, whose brother's death in Iraq led her to change paths from trying to change the world via NYC or DC think thanks to trying to change the world with planned acts of violence, seems hokey, but it actually plays out very well. Goodwillie presents us with two very well rounded, three dimensional protagonists- it's amazing that two such disparate and clear voices coexist so well in the same book. I enjoyed the back and forth. Even many of the secondary characters- parents, friends- were so well rounded.. and in a mere 300+ pages, seems amazing to think back on how much was squeezed in without being crammed.
I loved 85% of the story-- the last character I expected to be EmpiresFalls was Simon, but while I was happy that the book kept me in the dark so clearly, I also was somewhat confused how this character came from almost nowhere and was suddenly such a major player. This worked, for the most part... but it was almost a bit farfetched.
As a New Yorker, a last detail I want to mention is the exquisite detail woven in about neighborhoods, streets, characters, places to be seen, etc. New York is another secondary character in this book, and I can think of few novels that really know their way so intimately around these streets- Chinatown, Lower East Side, Chelsea. Impressive.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2010
What we have here in this book is a story about what it is like to go against the government or as one character said, a nation. It is the same story of youthful idealism falling away to disillusionment as each character in turn found out the truth about love, friendships, ideals, and those in authorities.
It is a thoughtful book on radicalism and lightly touched upon the history of the protest movements from World War I to the one in Seattle against the WTO. The author seems very knowledgable about how to circumvent the system himself based on his bio on the book's jacket. While I agree with some of the things that have been discussed in this finely crafted novel, I still think that the government needs to change from the inside, not the outside.
The current adminstration is letting me down, Obama had moved to the center in the altar of bipartiship. I wish he would had listened to the Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, Joseph Stiglitz, and not bail out the whiny C.E.O. of various banking companies who bitch out like J.P. Morgan and A.I.G. I am sure the average person was really impressed with our president's attempt to express rage by choking on his own tie.
Here's an idea. Why not strangle these executives who came into his oval office refusing regulations and then asked for OUR money to bail them out while ponificitating on the free enterprise system being self regulating by allowing strong businesses to to survive and weak businesses to fail, with their own ties?
If Obama don't straighten up and this time, listen to an economic who actually took the time to write a book and explained it so that it actually made sense to me, and ACTUALLY deserves his own nobel prize, he sure as hell lost my vote.
It is a thoughtful book on radicalism and lightly touched upon the history of the protest movements from World War I to the one in Seattle against the WTO. The author seems very knowledgable about how to circumvent the system himself based on his bio on the book's jacket. While I agree with some of the things that have been discussed in this finely crafted novel, I still think that the government needs to change from the inside, not the outside.
The current adminstration is letting me down, Obama had moved to the center in the altar of bipartiship. I wish he would had listened to the Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, Joseph Stiglitz, and not bail out the whiny C.E.O. of various banking companies who bitch out like J.P. Morgan and A.I.G. I am sure the average person was really impressed with our president's attempt to express rage by choking on his own tie.
Here's an idea. Why not strangle these executives who came into his oval office refusing regulations and then asked for OUR money to bail them out while ponificitating on the free enterprise system being self regulating by allowing strong businesses to to survive and weak businesses to fail, with their own ties?
If Obama don't straighten up and this time, listen to an economic who actually took the time to write a book and explained it so that it actually made sense to me, and ACTUALLY deserves his own nobel prize, he sure as hell lost my vote.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2010
Paige Roderick is a young woman reeling from the death of her brother, a soldier in Iraq, who finds a purpose and comfort in the radical politics of her brother's best friend. Aidan Cole is a paid blogger, part of a professional blogging conglomerate, who writes snark and gossip during the day and parties all night. Their paths cross when Aidan receives an anonymous email with a picture of Paige leaving the NYC building where a bomb has gone off.
Told in alternating chapters from the points of view of Paige and Aidan, the story begins slowly and didn't really take off for me until Paige and Aidan finally come together about midway through the book. An interesting read that becomes a page turner if you hang in there.
Told in alternating chapters from the points of view of Paige and Aidan, the story begins slowly and didn't really take off for me until Paige and Aidan finally come together about midway through the book. An interesting read that becomes a page turner if you hang in there.
March 13, 2012
Actual rating: 2.5 stars.
A decent novel about American radicals, the kind who set off bombs, descendants of the Weather Underground and the Earth Liberation Front. This novel, unlike Stuart Archer Cohen's The Army of the Republic, is strangely passive: the action, what there is of it, is described at one or two removes, through the after-the-fact words of one radical and one blogger who get swept up in a plot to blow up an office at a major media headquarters in New York City. There are also too many coincidences and fortuitous strokes of luck for my taste (and for realism's sake). If you're interested in this sort of story, you're better off with Cohen, but even so, this one is an interesting read.
A decent novel about American radicals, the kind who set off bombs, descendants of the Weather Underground and the Earth Liberation Front. This novel, unlike Stuart Archer Cohen's The Army of the Republic, is strangely passive: the action, what there is of it, is described at one or two removes, through the after-the-fact words of one radical and one blogger who get swept up in a plot to blow up an office at a major media headquarters in New York City. There are also too many coincidences and fortuitous strokes of luck for my taste (and for realism's sake). If you're interested in this sort of story, you're better off with Cohen, but even so, this one is an interesting read.
July 29, 2011
This story of the modern day American terrorist alternates with the story of a media blogger in New York. Obviously, the reader knows that their stories will merge. Frankly, that's where the story lost me. I liked both the characters, but when they came together the story lost its momentum for me. I still would have gone 4 stars, since I was interested in what would happen next, if it wasn't for the ending. The very last sentence just destroyed the narrative for me. I was so disappointed. Overall, a fairly engaging read, but without the depth of character relationships needed to sustain my interest.
May 15, 2011
Although I did not like the protagonists (I found them to be full of themselves and unable or unwilling to have any empathy for the rest of the world), they did attempt to redeem themselves in the finale. The plot was sufficiently complex and detailed to hold your interest and to keep you coming back to learn what happens next. Some of the ending was predictable, but that did not lessen its impact.
May 28, 2010
Love the writing style. Though I'm sure by checking this one out at the library I'm on a list somewhere. =) Surprisingly up-to-date on some of the references, seems like it would have had to have been written in the last 6 months...(maybe it was).
Ending left a lot of wondering - who are the good, the bad, which side are you on? I think that's the point, and it's achieved very well.
Ending left a lot of wondering - who are the good, the bad, which side are you on? I think that's the point, and it's achieved very well.
January 1, 2011
I think this book would be a good one to read after reading Philip Roth's American Pastoral. It is a post 911, post Obama story of modern left revolutionaries and the aftermath of their actions. I think it was well done and an interesting read. I would be curious to read these characters in a few years time.
January 10, 2011
This one's a thinker. It was engrossing and a page-turner, well written with a plot that moves you forward. The characters keep you interested but it's a bit of a tightrope walk staying off the side of over-intellectualization.
Overall, I enjoyed it a great deal. It leaves you pondering the problem of everything that goes with being American.
Overall, I enjoyed it a great deal. It leaves you pondering the problem of everything that goes with being American.
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