American Rust

 American Rust by Philipp Meyer is a gritty, affecting novel about Rust-Belt decay. Early in the text, two young men participate in a violent encounter, and the ramifications of that event resonate for the rest of the novel. Living in poverty, both men have an inchoate sense of future hope that then becomes derailed. The novel is told in close-third-person point of view--each chapter a different perspective--from the young men to their immediate, and intimate, periphery. I found American Rust to be fast-paced and engaging, with scenes (especially in a federal prison) of true suspense and terror.

I'd read another Meyer novel, 2013's The Son, which came after American Rust and is equally concerned with historic forces converging on powerless characters. Both novels are imperfect: The Son makes some narrative decisions (a epistolary character, for example) that don't always land, and American Rust is a bit too deterministic. Most characters spend great stretches of text ruminating on the economic or cultural forces pitted against them. Many a barroom conversation lands on mill closures, veteran's rights, Wall Street, opioids, etc. The thesis statement is a bit too surface-level in Meyer's work; the exposition drives home any ambiguity. And yet. Meyer is still a great writer. His characters become fully realized and sympathetic, and the persistent violence is believably visceral and distressing. I read The Son seven years ago, during the 2016 Election, and it's stuck with me more than most books in the intervening time. I have a feeling American Rust will do the same.