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missy_bee 's review for:
American War
by Omar El Akkad
A novel speculating on the dangers of political partisanship and unchecked climate change. American War is both a cautionary tale and an allegory of present-day military occupation.
In 2074, Sara T "Sarat" Chestnut is six-years-old. She lives in Louisiana with her family by the Mississippi sea. She's happy there. Despite her parents' plans to move the family to the North, the breakout of the Second American Civil War sends Sarat, her siblings, and her mother to a Southern refugee camp. In Camp Patience, Sarat befriends a powerful, mysterious man with ties to the new global superpower — the North African and Arab Bouazizi Empire. Under her mentor's tutelage, Sarat is radicalized into a deadly instrument of war.
The novel is best read as an allegory of present-day military conflict. Author Omar El Akkad expands on the horrors and absurdities of modern warfare such as drone strikes, predatory indoctrination, suicide bombers, and ineffective humanitarian aid. His inclusion of contrived primary sources draws additional parallels to military occupation occuring today. These sources also add depth to the conflict, making it feel factual. However, American War falls short as a speculative novel. By avoiding race, class, gender, and their intersections in the conflict, El Akkad fails to fully bring the war to American soil.
A captivating dystopian novel that's rooted in reality, American War tells the story of a family struggling to survive during a country's collapse. If at times the writing leaned towards melodramatic, El Akkad more than made up for it in his masterfully crafted characters and cannily detailed plot. A disquieting read.
In 2074, Sara T "Sarat" Chestnut is six-years-old. She lives in Louisiana with her family by the Mississippi sea. She's happy there. Despite her parents' plans to move the family to the North, the breakout of the Second American Civil War sends Sarat, her siblings, and her mother to a Southern refugee camp. In Camp Patience, Sarat befriends a powerful, mysterious man with ties to the new global superpower — the North African and Arab Bouazizi Empire. Under her mentor's tutelage, Sarat is radicalized into a deadly instrument of war.
The novel is best read as an allegory of present-day military conflict. Author Omar El Akkad expands on the horrors and absurdities of modern warfare such as drone strikes, predatory indoctrination, suicide bombers, and ineffective humanitarian aid. His inclusion of contrived primary sources draws additional parallels to military occupation occuring today. These sources also add depth to the conflict, making it feel factual. However, American War falls short as a speculative novel. By avoiding race, class, gender, and their intersections in the conflict, El Akkad fails to fully bring the war to American soil.
A captivating dystopian novel that's rooted in reality, American War tells the story of a family struggling to survive during a country's collapse. If at times the writing leaned towards melodramatic, El Akkad more than made up for it in his masterfully crafted characters and cannily detailed plot. A disquieting read.