The novel captures the realities of a post-industrial society that left parts of Middle America with run-down towns that were once bustling with economic vigor. The fictional rural town of Buell embodies the lost American dream for the middle class worsened by the Great Recession in the 21st century. Never has the working-class life fallen on hard times after a streak of well-paying jobs that promoted local manufacturing. What’s left is deteriorating towns in the American heartland from the economic decisions that prompted overseas operations. Moreover, elite capitalism encourages corporate interests such as increasing margins rather than safeguarding livelihoods. With this in mind, the narrative delves into this aftermath in how it affects the mindset of the locals and the trajectory of their society. Thereby, Meyer incorporates the third-person perspective of each character in a stream-of-consciousness in the same spirit as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf.
The plot centers on a high school graduate, Isaac English, who is a product of his environment as his dreams are vulnerable to this social decline. With a society with no jobs, an economic downturn, and a drug crisis that is consuming the youth, the hope of making it out is lost. The looming sense of being on the sidelines disheartens the dreams and minds of the productive lot in such a society. Unlike the sister, Lee, who went off to enroll in Yale and leads a successful life, Isaac is left behind to care for their sick father. Meyer addresses the common sentiment among the populace in neglected rural towns that their misfortune is self-imposed. A tragic event sets the conflict as Isaac and his confidante Billy find themselves in a situation where their friendship and loyalty triumph.
Meyer manages to congregate this sense of place with a cluster of characters living on the edge and a tragedy that sets off the action. George Pelecanos of The Turnaround wrote “With its strong narrative engine and understated social insight, American Rust is reminiscent of the best of Robert Stone and Russell Banks. Author Philipp Meyer locates the heart of his working-class characters without false sentiment or condescension, and their world is artfully described. An extraordinary, compelling novel from a major talent.”
