In her first two novels, Prep and The Man of My Dreams, Curtis Sittenfeld, '97, seemed to patent a character who could be described as a smart, plucky introvert. Her third novel, which promises to become a controversial bestseller after it is published September 2, focuses on a smart, plucky and introverted First Lady—one whose life parallels Laura Bush's.
American Wife (Random House, $26) is in the tradition of Primary Colors (Joe Klein's novel about the Clintons) or Black Water (Joyce Carol Oates's novel about Chappaquiddick), in that no reader will be able to resist the guessing game it poses. If the fictional First Lady Alice Blackwell is involved in a teenage auto accident with devastating consequences, becomes a librarian, marries the underestimated scion of a political family, prompts her husband to stop drinking, supports him as he runs for governor and then president, and witnesses the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War—all things that are true to the life of Laura Bush—does it also mean that Laura Bush must have any, or many, of the traits, habits and experiences of Alice Blackwell? The fictional Blackwell has a past history and current opinions that are likely to disturb conservatives. (“I lead a life in opposition to itself,” she thinks.) Even liberals may feel that the liberties Sittenfeld has taken with the Bush family biographies aren't cricket.
What probably will get less notice is Sittenfeld's undeniably expert way with other themes: her championing of the Midwest (the Blackwell dynasty is from Wisconsin); her perfect-pitch recreation of the era before modern feminism took root; and her sly observations about the personal costs and private advantages of fame in America.
