A review by chillcox15
Americana by Don DeLillo

4.0

3.5 stars. Americana, Don Delillo's first novel, is an odd miniature epic that exists in the liminal spaces between 20th century eras. Although it was published in 1971, it starts out feeling of a set with some of the more epochal 80s authors and their works; the yuppie-ish concerns and the mile-a-minute verbosity of the NYC office workers feel like they could be out of a Bret Easton Ellis or Jay McInerney story (but, you know, better). Then we set out on a cross-country road trip and are reminded that yes, the 1960s did just end and the bomb of that decade left shrapnel across the landscape, with burnouts and radicalized weirdos hanging out and hanging on. That second half reveals a bit more of Delillo's nascent revelatory powers, but it also shows that he hadn't quire reached their heights yet. This is a nearly 400 page novel by its end and it could have maybe stood a bit of a trim.