American War

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Follow the tributaries of today's political combat a few decades into the future and you might arrive at something as terrifying as Omar El Akkad's debut novel. Across these scarred pages rages the clash that many of us are anxiously speculating about in the Trump era: a nation riven by irreconcilable ideologies, alienated by entrenched suspicions. Whether read as a cautionary tale of partisanship run amok, an allegory of past conflicts, or a study of the psychology of war, this deeply unsettling novel offers only the comfort that it is a work of fiction. El Akkad has an innate feel for the textural details of dystopia; his grim near-future fantasy feels like a crystal ball. If violence and conflict feel distant, this debut novel brings them home. Despite its future setting, it feels wrong to call it science fiction or even dystopian, as it is so few steps removed from our reality. The story of a family caught in the collapse of an empire is as harrowing as it is brilliant, with an air of terrible relevance in these partisan times. El Akkad's saga of suffering in a world of brutal power struggles and vengeance is gripping, unsparing, and essential for dangerously contentious times. Terrifyingly plausible, this vivid narrative depicts a country collapsing in on itself, introducing a fascinating character while offering a stinging rebuke of the distance with which the U.S. sometimes views current disasters.