The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (2004)

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth


                Philip was a young boy but he still knew of the war against the Jews going on in Germany. He could constantly hear his parents discussing it. So when Lindbergh was elected president instead of Roosevelt in 1940, all Philip could feel was fear. His father knew Lindbergh was an anti-Semite. So did many of the other Jewish families in the neighborhood. All of whom were afraid of what Lindbergh’s pact with Hitler and the Japanese Emperor could mean for their future. America had now become allied with the Axis powers. While Europe was being slowly decimated by Hitler’s Army, the Japanese would begin conquering the different nations of the Pacific. The president of the United States, Charles A. Lindbergh, would do nothing but watch.
                I love alternate history historical fiction novels. I think it such an amazing genre with so many endless possibilities. We all know how World War II ended, how Roosevelt would end up serving four terms in office and sending troops to battle in Europe and the Pacific. But imagine if he hadn’t and an isolationist was given power instead. Would anti-Semitism have taken over in the United States? That’s the question Roth sets out to answer with this novel. He envisions a world where such a change takes place and fear and horror takes place on American soil. It was interesting concept, with a plot that was well executed and a pervasive tone of fear but there were some areas where it simply fell flat.
                I have decided that I am simply not a fan of Roth’s writing style. He decided to write this as if it were a personal memoir. That was actually pretty successful except for the fact that his prose was extremely too congested and his narrative tend to waver off topic a lot. I struggled with getting through his writing but I was totally engrossed in the story. The end was a bit of a disappointment. As much as I had grown to like the characters, all of whom were pretty well developed, I felt like the ending was rushed in an attempt to tie the story line up with a neat little bow. I won’t post spoilers but the “plot” aspect while plausible was just lame.

                The Plot Against America was simply okay. I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars. It was an interesting story, with a writing style I didn’t prefer. The tension was always plausible but somewhere along the line I feel like Roth gave up and wasn’t sure how to end it. A lot of missed opportunities with this novel but an intriguing story none the less of a history I’m glad didn’t happen this way. 

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