inky_7993 's review for:

American War by Omar El Akkad

4.0

---

When the second Civil War begins in 2074, Sarat is a young girl living in Louisiana. Tensions have been high between the North and South over the use of fossil fuels, and when the fighting nears, the family is forced to flee to a refugee camp. While their mother finds work to support themselves, Sarat and her brother, Simon, try to find places in this new world. Simon finds the rebel fighters, while Sarat finds a friendship with a man who treats her as an equal—a recruiter to the cause, it turns out. The war between the states eventually ends . . . but never for Sarat.

American War is set in the nearish future, and it's all too easy to see the possibilities for truth in the novel. It's part of what makes it so chilling, and such an interesting read.