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sardinetin's review
4.0
Read and devoured within less than 24 hours. Thought-provoking and captivating in equal measure - as someone who remembers distinctly where I was when the twin towers came down, this does an excellent job of capturing the general confusion and channeling it into something cohesive.
beefmaster's review against another edition
2.0
Not Good
ETA
I wish Priest had just written a nonfiction book instead of this. Too much of the novel is the narrator explaining 9/11 in exhaustive detail and asking questions the audience doesn't have the knowledge to answer. The narrator's relationship with the various women in his life makes me feel like the women have no life beyond the narrator, which is certainly not the intent (considering the generous backstory given to one woman).
I did like the structure of the novel; it's not quite parallel stories (present and past) but back and forth, ever tightening towards the climax of the novel, which is stupendously enervating, by the way. Priest's previous novels have been so slippery, with the nature of reality itself being up for grabs, but here, all the speculative stuff feels like Greg Egan explaining math to me and it has less bearing on the story than I think the novel would like it to have.
Priest's narrator dismisses conspiracy theories with disdain, but the novel is just an excuse to wallow in them. There's the veneer of respectability thanks to the publishing house, Priest's reputation, and his very prose, which has a coolness, the semblance of rationality. But none of these can disguise the insistence that 9/11 was a conspiracy on a vast scale.
All in all, a disappointing read. A failure as a novel, but an interesting list of 9/11 facts
ETA
I wish Priest had just written a nonfiction book instead of this. Too much of the novel is the narrator explaining 9/11 in exhaustive detail and asking questions the audience doesn't have the knowledge to answer. The narrator's relationship with the various women in his life makes me feel like the women have no life beyond the narrator, which is certainly not the intent (considering the generous backstory given to one woman).
I did like the structure of the novel; it's not quite parallel stories (present and past) but back and forth, ever tightening towards the climax of the novel, which is stupendously enervating, by the way. Priest's previous novels have been so slippery, with the nature of reality itself being up for grabs, but here, all the speculative stuff feels like Greg Egan explaining math to me and it has less bearing on the story than I think the novel would like it to have.
Priest's narrator dismisses conspiracy theories with disdain, but the novel is just an excuse to wallow in them. There's the veneer of respectability thanks to the publishing house, Priest's reputation, and his very prose, which has a coolness, the semblance of rationality. But none of these can disguise the insistence that 9/11 was a conspiracy on a vast scale.
All in all, a disappointing read. A failure as a novel, but an interesting list of 9/11 facts
veecaswell's review
3.0
The story of Ben Matson and his exploration into how he lost his girlfriend during 9/11, An American Story explores themes such as love and conspiracy theories.
The way book is written as almost a stream of consciousness, can be a little offputting at first as it feels almost tangential, however I think it adds to the personality of the book as it continues, giving us what Ben is going through, what he is thinking and what is going on throughout the book.
The plot unravels well, but the whole conspiracy thing feels like a book trying to say something and not really working it out well. This book is certainly well researched when it comes to the subject at hand but sometimes it can feel like it goes down an internet rabbit hole.
The story of Ben and Lil is nice, but overall, I just liked it.
(I received an ARC from Netgalley for a honest review).
The way book is written as almost a stream of consciousness, can be a little offputting at first as it feels almost tangential, however I think it adds to the personality of the book as it continues, giving us what Ben is going through, what he is thinking and what is going on throughout the book.
The plot unravels well, but the whole conspiracy thing feels like a book trying to say something and not really working it out well. This book is certainly well researched when it comes to the subject at hand but sometimes it can feel like it goes down an internet rabbit hole.
The story of Ben and Lil is nice, but overall, I just liked it.
(I received an ARC from Netgalley for a honest review).
kidicarus64's review
4.0
An American Story is a very classic Christopher Priest book and I would even recommend NOT starting reading his works by this novel. We follow the thoughts of a journalist who lost his girlfriend in 9/11 and is taken back to that fateful day over and over again by destiny… or mathematics.
It is not surprising that the book was not published in the States. Not surprising by quite shocking honestly as the novel perfectly explains why it is wrong: by not debating this event, we surrendered our rights to know the Truth with a capital T.
Yet, the Truth is not in the book. It is NOT a book about the events of 9/11, NOT a book showing the US lied to us, NOT a book about conspiracies. It is simply a book daring to ask: why aren't we discussing this event?
It is not surprising that the book was not published in the States. Not surprising by quite shocking honestly as the novel perfectly explains why it is wrong: by not debating this event, we surrendered our rights to know the Truth with a capital T.
Yet, the Truth is not in the book. It is NOT a book about the events of 9/11, NOT a book showing the US lied to us, NOT a book about conspiracies. It is simply a book daring to ask: why aren't we discussing this event?
sweet_ness's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jimmypat's review
5.0
Christopher Priest always writes novels that are puzzle boxes, leaving you to wonder what actually happened. This novel is unique in that Priest is dealing with actual historic events and leaves the reader questioning his own reality. Superbly written and absolutely enthralling, this tale seems even more on point for 2021 and makes me want to hide out from society and technology even more than I do now.
ijustkindalikebooks's review against another edition
3.0
The story of Ben Matson and his exploration into how he lost his girlfriend during 9/11, An American Story explores themes such as love and conspiracy theories.
The way book is written as almost a stream of consciousness, can be a little offputting at first as it feels almost tangential, however I think it adds to the personality of the book as it continues, giving us what Ben is going through, what he is thinking and what is going on throughout the book.
The plot unravels well, but the whole conspiracy thing feels like a book trying to say something and not really working it out well. This book is certainly well researched when it comes to the subject at hand but sometimes it can feel like it goes down an internet rabbit hole.
The story of Ben and Lil is nice, but overall, I just liked it.
(I received an ARC from Netgalley for a honest review).
The way book is written as almost a stream of consciousness, can be a little offputting at first as it feels almost tangential, however I think it adds to the personality of the book as it continues, giving us what Ben is going through, what he is thinking and what is going on throughout the book.
The plot unravels well, but the whole conspiracy thing feels like a book trying to say something and not really working it out well. This book is certainly well researched when it comes to the subject at hand but sometimes it can feel like it goes down an internet rabbit hole.
The story of Ben and Lil is nice, but overall, I just liked it.
(I received an ARC from Netgalley for a honest review).
iamleyeti's review
4.0
An American Story is a very classic Christopher Priest book and I would even recommend NOT starting reading his works by this novel. We follow the thoughts of a journalist who lost his girlfriend in 9/11 and is taken back to that fateful day over and over again by destiny… or mathematics.
It is not surprising that the book was not published in the States. Not surprising by quite shocking honestly as the novel perfectly explains why it is wrong: by not debating this event, we surrendered our rights to know the Truth with a capital T.
Yet, the Truth is not in the book. It is NOT a book about the events of 9/11, NOT a book showing the US lied to us, NOT a book about conspiracies. It is simply a book daring to ask: why aren't we discussing this event?
It is not surprising that the book was not published in the States. Not surprising by quite shocking honestly as the novel perfectly explains why it is wrong: by not debating this event, we surrendered our rights to know the Truth with a capital T.
Yet, the Truth is not in the book. It is NOT a book about the events of 9/11, NOT a book showing the US lied to us, NOT a book about conspiracies. It is simply a book daring to ask: why aren't we discussing this event?
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