American Rust
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"In Philipp Meyer a new American master is born. A tender chronicle of a civilisation's corrosion, yet always watchful for something in the human soul that remains untarnished, 'American Rust' is a beautiful, bleak and ultimately redemptive masterpiece. The best book to come out of America since 'The Road'." --CHRIS CLEAVE author of THE OTHER HAND/LITTLE BEE
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"The American dream dies and is reborn yet again. Set in a beautiful but bleak post-industrial landscape with characters who are compellingly engaging, AMERICAN RUST is a startlingly mature and impressive debut."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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This was quite a surprise. The first few pages, with their spare style and orchestrated intensity, had me expecting a fairly conventional thriller - but the story gradually revealed unexpected depth and nuance, whilst never losing pace or atmosphere. There are some fascinating characters to be found in here, as well as the wonderfully realised context of a decaying Pennsylvania mining town. Meyer's evocation of the urban and rural American landscape is impressive and thick with social and cultural connotations.
Meyer uses a tight structure, switching constantly between internal monologues to tell the story of two young men and their families working through the aftermath of the traumatic and morally confusing event that kicks the novel off. Operating within the bounds of genre fiction, he creates characters that both embody and exceed their archetypes - angry young men, small-town cops - and reveal themselves to be complex, crafted and conflicted. The shadow that the initial trauma casts over the characters really drives the story forward, screwing with relationships and putting the two protagonists under constant fear of retribution.
This is a confident, intelligent, subtle and morally complex page-turner with some great writing, impeccable characterisation and a singularly gritty, filmic atmosphere.
Meyer uses a tight structure, switching constantly between internal monologues to tell the story of two young men and their families working through the aftermath of the traumatic and morally confusing event that kicks the novel off. Operating within the bounds of genre fiction, he creates characters that both embody and exceed their archetypes - angry young men, small-town cops - and reveal themselves to be complex, crafted and conflicted. The shadow that the initial trauma casts over the characters really drives the story forward, screwing with relationships and putting the two protagonists under constant fear of retribution.
This is a confident, intelligent, subtle and morally complex page-turner with some great writing, impeccable characterisation and a singularly gritty, filmic atmosphere.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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This novel carries at its heart the theme of urban and cultural degeneration. The characters within it are constrained by the tapestry of Buell, the town in which they live, and which has, in one way or another, marked them. The backdrop is presented in lovingly unforgiving detail, a steel mill town without an open mill, a rural idyll where everyone is trying to make their way to their next meal, as everything crumbles around them. Perhaps one of the greatest achievements here is in that successful protrayal of rural life in a one-industry town, where the inhabitants are not idealised, or stereotyped, but represented with a refreshing honesty which made this a fascinating read.
Into this world are dropped a pair of unlikely friends, one of whom plans to move on to something better - the other unable to believe in deserving anything better. As all plans do, this one goes terribly wrong - but while this is a book about mistakes, it seems to be mmore one about the consequences of those mistakes, from the gradual and inevitable decline of a small town, to the erosion of the will sand lives of those within it.
Having said that, the novel also explores, with a startling grace, the eseence of the human condition. The reader is treated to cupidity, naivety, and plain old idiocy, all portrayed exceptionally. To counterbalance this, they are given nobility, trust, duty, and an understanding of honour, often from surprising sources. Meyer successfully shines a light under the rock of small town USA, and comes up with the slime - and the diamonds - buried beneath.
While there were a few strains of narrative which seemed a little awkward at times (enough to avoid a 5 star rating), the core of this novel is absolutely fascinating;the portrayal of people, places and events is honest, and exciting. The plot, basic as it is, is intense, and will leave you turning pages hoping for more - perhaps my greatest complaint is that the conclusion feels sparse and abrupt. But then, perhaps that was the intention.
I had trouble putting this book down, and I'd recommend it - though in some areas it may be a little too visceral, and in others a bit too intense, to make for light summer reading - the text seems to demand more from the reader. That said, read this novel - you won't be disappointed.
Into this world are dropped a pair of unlikely friends, one of whom plans to move on to something better - the other unable to believe in deserving anything better. As all plans do, this one goes terribly wrong - but while this is a book about mistakes, it seems to be mmore one about the consequences of those mistakes, from the gradual and inevitable decline of a small town, to the erosion of the will sand lives of those within it.
Having said that, the novel also explores, with a startling grace, the eseence of the human condition. The reader is treated to cupidity, naivety, and plain old idiocy, all portrayed exceptionally. To counterbalance this, they are given nobility, trust, duty, and an understanding of honour, often from surprising sources. Meyer successfully shines a light under the rock of small town USA, and comes up with the slime - and the diamonds - buried beneath.
While there were a few strains of narrative which seemed a little awkward at times (enough to avoid a 5 star rating), the core of this novel is absolutely fascinating;the portrayal of people, places and events is honest, and exciting. The plot, basic as it is, is intense, and will leave you turning pages hoping for more - perhaps my greatest complaint is that the conclusion feels sparse and abrupt. But then, perhaps that was the intention.
I had trouble putting this book down, and I'd recommend it - though in some areas it may be a little too visceral, and in others a bit too intense, to make for light summer reading - the text seems to demand more from the reader. That said, read this novel - you won't be disappointed.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An American classic it certainly is not. However, what Meyer has produced here, is a work which ticks the boxes of great American fiction; a sharply poignant piece of literature, saturated with the importance of place, which draws attention to social decay and individual difficulties in this arena. Meyer successfully intertwines a dark psychological exploration of the main characters, with the deterioration of Pennsylvania's industrial valleys. This paints a compelling picture of modern America torn, as it always is, between contrasting persona's of past and present, good and evil.
Each chapter is dedicated to the point of view of one of the main characters and Meyer shows a superb ability to submerge himself in his creations and delivers insightful and carefully thought through dilemmas they each face. This involves the reader greatly and provides an interesting alternative to a more orthodox narrative pace. Instead, the story only covers a number of days but the psychological depths Meyer travels to immerse us and we live each characters life over these days making the novel seem to tell more of a story than it really does.
No one is a hero, and no one is a villain in American Rust and we find ourselves rooting for everyone, even though their successes are limited and actually only appear to be making the best out of a situation which has been turned against them by decades of neglect. The characters are trapped in the town they were born in and we follow the agitation they all feel.
Each chapter is dedicated to the point of view of one of the main characters and Meyer shows a superb ability to submerge himself in his creations and delivers insightful and carefully thought through dilemmas they each face. This involves the reader greatly and provides an interesting alternative to a more orthodox narrative pace. Instead, the story only covers a number of days but the psychological depths Meyer travels to immerse us and we live each characters life over these days making the novel seem to tell more of a story than it really does.
No one is a hero, and no one is a villain in American Rust and we find ourselves rooting for everyone, even though their successes are limited and actually only appear to be making the best out of a situation which has been turned against them by decades of neglect. The characters are trapped in the town they were born in and we follow the agitation they all feel.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Thoughts
I'm a massive fan of Americana, and bought this book blind. The reviews on the cover are awesome and probably over the top, comparisons with Macarthy and Steinbeck should not be... Read more
Published 3 months ago by A. Pick
Engrossing
This was a slow read, but quite gripping once you persevere. Obviously influenced by the likes of Steinbeck and KIng, it refocused on the often revisited theme of... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Bill Kelly
American Rust
A great book which captures the impact of economic depression and the breakdown of traditional family units on the lives of young people in the US. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Faris Mohammed
Rust never sleeps
In American Rust Philip Meyer has crafted a great work of American fiction, deftly creating a stage worthy of Shakespeare or Homer, and casting his characters on it to play out... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Man Raised By Penguins
A gripping page turner
Phillip Meyer's canvas is as wide as some of the American landscapes he describes so vividly. The characters are well drawn and each, in some way, shows signs of the... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Otto99
A very pleasant surprise...
I loved this book - I bought it on a 3 for 2 in a certain hight street bookshop and was very impressed with it's subtelty and it's depth. Read more
Published 22 months ago by robertsonal
Very atmospheric
Not what I was expecting but still very enjoyable - superbly atmospheric and evocative. You can really picture the appearance of the place, surrounded by crumbling relics of... Read more
Published 22 months ago by eclectic warrior
A Long Long Road
A good simple story of a flawed young man's desperate journey on foot through depressed America , but with too much inconsequential rambling from the 5 main characters . Read more
Published on 23 May 2010 by Alexander Bryce
Brilliant
Took a little while to come through, but was well worth the wait. In excellent condition and the book is just brilliant.
Published on 2 May 2010 by Mr. A. R. SCRACE
quite good
I have read American Rust with pleasure, is a good cut of America's troubles and has been a very educative reading. Besides this, there was little more. Read more
Published on 25 April 2010 by Fabrizio Morelli
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