Review: American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
American Wife
by Curtis Sittenfeld
American Wife is the account of the life of the First Lady of the United States of America. It’s fictional, but it is heavily based on the life of Laura Bush and her husband, George. In this sweeping novel Alice Blackwell traces her steps from her childhood in Wisconsin and a tragedy that has haunted her all of her life to the early stages of her relationship with Charlie Blackwell all the way to the White House. Throughout the book she does her best to fit in the Blackwell way of life; but a demure, small-town, liberal-minded woman has quite a tough time meshing her ideas with one of the Republican Party’s powerhouse families.
Most of Sittenfeld’s book flows very well; I drifted quickly through Alice’s childhood and early adulthood. Sometimes I wanted to strangle Alice - the choices she makes at times! - but she’s a very realistic representation of an average woman raised to heights beyond her natural desires. Charlie Blackwell, her ambitious husband, is never satisfied with his wealth or position in society, so there is a constant tension between his desire to make a mark on the world and Alice’s own desires for the domestic tranquility of a ‘normal’ family life. When the Blackwells arrive in the White House, however, the book seems to switch gears. Sittenfeld’s narrative becomes rather preachy and clearly critical of the Bush administration. Not that I don’t agree with her on several points, but I felt she interrupted her storytelling flow and it was jarring.
Charlie Blackwell, Bush surrogate, does come across as a crude-mouthed jerk in much of the book. But he’s also affectionate toward his wife, genuine in his religious conversion, and almost pitiable as he reaches mid-life and realizes that he’s done virtually nothing with his life. I thought his character was given fair treatment, but I suspect many would disagree.
There’s quite a lot of hot, steamy sex sprinkled throughout the book. In some ways, it is disturbing, because I do not want to think about the Bushes that way. (Eew.) A lot of the sex did feel gratuitous and I didn’t think it did much to move the story forward.
I don’t know very much about Laura Bush, so I really couldn’t say the full extent of fact. vs. fiction in the story. American Wife definitely parallels her life in many ways, but it’s extremely important to remember that it is still a work of fiction. I enjoyed it and would recommend it. The relationship dynamics between Alice and Charlie and Alice’s struggle to reconcile her great love for her husband and her disagreement with many of his core policies make for an engrossing, beautiful story.
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