Curtis Sittenfeld brings us Alice Lindgren, a considerate and studious child born to somewhat apathetic parents in a small town in Wisconsin. Alice is shy, quiet and enjoys living her life as an observer more than a participant. However, Alice’s quiet life and “normal” teenage years are shattered and she is devastated when she is involved in a tragic accident that kills another student. This event leaves Alice questioning who she is and also how life can turn on a dime. During this difficult time, Alice shows inner strength as she puts her life back together as best she can and goes on to become a school librarian with hopes of a normal life. It is years later when Alice, a registered Democrat, first meets Charlie Blackwell. Blackwell, who she at first doesn’t give the time of day, is a captivating and rowdy Republican from a wealthy family.
At this point, if the reader is not already thinking that this is a very familiar story, than I would be surprised. It has been written that Sittenfeld has noted that she did draw on some major events in the early life of Laura Bush but only as a framework for her fictional story. Readers, who can put aside any personal political feelings, will read on to find the life of Alice Lindgren about to change forever and can follow her intriguing story as she is drawn into the political world of Charlie Blackwell.
At first, Alice finds Charlie to be rather obnoxious and much too cavalier for her quiet, staid lifestyle. But something happens, much to Alice’s surprise, as she finds herself suddenly fascinated by this man. Suddenly, she is falling in love with Charlie Blackwell and is rather swept off her feet. Their dating, and subsequent engagement is a whirlwind that Alice, as well as the reader, is caught up in. Soon Alice and Charlie are married and we begin to see signs this is possibly not the fairy tale marriage after all and what has Alice gotten herself into?
Alice slowly makes her way into the world of the tight knit Blackwell family with their summer homes, club life, and conservative religious background. She finds herself questioning if she really knew what she was doing with a man whose political and social beliefs go against her more liberal, Democratic ideas. Alice is not comfortable with this lifestyle and what all the money brings to their marriage. However, Alice is dedicated to Charlie and supports him through some tough times that include alcoholism only to be followed by his getting involved with politics by becoming the Wisconsin governor. Before Alice can blink, she is on the way to becoming the First Lady of the United States as Charlie is elected President.
Alice is suddenly in a situation where she has responsibility, authority, and even power that she never asked for. Charlie leads the country into an unpopular war and yet is reelected to a second term and Alice finds she must start to face the years she has spent disagreeing with her husband on so much while still loving him. How can that be, she asks herself? Has her own life been so weak that she has followed and lost all that is left of her own self? What if she does decide to show her true feelings and beliefs to Charlie and the country? What has become of Alice Lindgren and can she find herself again in Alice Blackwell? Curtis Sittenfeld gives the reader a tantalizing, page-turner that also allows for comparisons to real life politics at their best…or perhaps their worse!
Submitted by Karen Haney for VINE to Curled Up with a Good Book, October 2008
Real Life Politics Play Out in Curtis Sittenfeld's American Wife
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