Honestly, if you pick up a copy of America America by Ethan Canin, you might think you’re just diving into another political thriller about a 1970s scandal. I mean, the cover usually screams "serious literature," and the plot involves a Senator, a car crash, and a dead girl. It sounds like a fictionalized version of Chappaquiddick.
But that's not really what this book is about.
If you go into it looking for a fast-paced "who-done-it" regarding Senator Henry Bonwiller and the unfortunate JoEllen Charney, you’re going to be disappointed. This isn’t a thriller. It’s an autopsy. It’s a long, slow, somewhat painful look at how class works in this country and how power doesn't just corrupt—it blinds.
The Core of America America Ethan Canin
The story is told by Corey Sifter. When we meet him, he’s a middle-aged newspaper publisher in a small town called Saline, New York. It’s 2006. He’s just attended the funeral of Henry Bonwiller, a man who could have been President but instead became a footnote in history.
Corey starts looking back to 1971. He was sixteen then. A townie. His dad was a plumber—a "craftsman" who took pride in the way a pipe fit. That’s an important detail because it’s Corey’s own work ethic that catches the eye of Liam Metarey.
The Metareys are essentially the kings of Saline. They own the land, the industry, and seemingly the future. Liam Metarey is the "good" heir, trying to use his massive wealth to fund Bonwiller’s run for the White House. He takes Corey under his wing, pays for his private school, and basically invites him into a world of "fine things" and political machinations.
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Why the Chappaquiddick Comparison is a Trap
Everyone talks about the Ted Kennedy parallels. Yes, Bonwiller is a "liberal lion." Yes, there is a car accident involving a young campaign aide (JoEllen) that ends his career.
But Canin has explicitly said in interviews that he was thinking more about Lyndon Johnson when he wrote Bonwiller. He wanted to explore that weird, "metallic vanity"—the idea that a person can be a total saint for civil rights and labor laws in public, while being a reckless, philandering disaster in private.
The tragedy in the book isn't just the girl dying. It’s the "moral calculus" the characters perform. They decide that Bonwiller’s political goals (ending the Vietnam War, fixing healthcare) are so important that the "small" tragedy of a dead girl and a cover-up is a price worth paying.
It’s a brutal realization for Corey. He's not just a witness; he's a participant. He helps with the cover-up in a small, quiet way that haunts him for thirty years.
The Architecture of Power in Saline
Canin’s writing here is... well, it’s dense. Some critics at The Guardian called it "turgid," which is a bit mean, but I get it. The sentences can be long and elegiac. He loves describing the "rhythms of a great estate."
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- Aberdeen West: The Metarey estate isn't just a house; it's a character. It represents the old-world wealth that built America.
- The Sifter Household: Represents the "careful workmanship" of the working class.
- The Newspaper: Represents the search for truth, which Corey eventually chooses as his profession.
The book jumps back and forth between the 70s and 2006. It’s not a straight line. You’ll be reading about a campaign party one minute and then suddenly you’re in the present day with Corey’s daughter.
This structure is intentional. It shows how the past isn't actually past. The decisions Liam Metarey made in 1972 are the reason Saline looks the way it does in 2006—which, spoiler alert, involves the grand estate being turned into a mall.
What Really Happens With the Ending?
One of the biggest complaints readers have is how Canin withholds information. He’s a bit of a tease.
For example, he mentions Corey’s wife early on but doesn't tell you who she is for a long time. Is it Christian Metarey? Is it her sister Clara? When the reveal finally happens, it’s almost treated as an afterthought.
Some people hate this. They feel manipulated. But if you look at it through the lens of memory, it makes sense. Corey is an old man telling a story to himself as much as to us. He’s not a "reliable narrator" in the traditional sense because he’s still protecting the people he loved, even while trying to expose the truth.
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Key Characters You Should Pay Attention To:
- Liam Metarey: The moral center who makes a disastrous moral choice. He’s the most complex figure in the book—a man trying to atone for his father’s "robber baron" sins by doing something great, only to fail.
- Trieste Millbury: A high school intern in the 2006 timeline. She’s the one who calls Corey out. She sees through the "myth of the Metareys" in a way Corey never could when he was her age.
- Granger Sifter: Corey’s dad. He doesn't say much, but his silence is the backbone of the novel’s ethics.
Is It Worth the Read?
If you like Richard Russo or John Irving, you’ll probably love this. It has that same "big American novel" feel. It’s about the death of idealism.
It's also about how privilege works. There's a great line where Corey realizes "how diligently privilege had to work to remain oblivious to its cost." That’s the whole book in a nutshell. The people at the top are "good people," but their goodness is bought with the labor and the lives of the people at the bottom.
Actionable Insights for Readers and Book Clubs
If you're reading America America Ethan Canin for a book club or just for your own sanity, keep these points in mind to get the most out of the text:
- Track the "Father Figures": Compare Corey's biological father, Granger, with his surrogate father, Liam. One values the process of work; the other values the result of power. Who has more integrity by the end?
- Look for the "Black Glass": Canin uses the metaphor of looking through "warped black glass" several times. It’s a hint that we aren't seeing the whole truth. Whenever this pops up, ask yourself: What is Corey choosing not to tell me right now?
- Research the 1972 Primary: The book mentions real-world figures like McGovern and Muskie. Knowing how disastrous that real-world election was for the Democrats adds a layer of "doomed from the start" energy to Bonwiller’s fictional campaign.
- Analyze the Setting Change: Pay attention to how the town of Saline changes. The shift from a "company town" to a place of "big corporations and malls" mirrors the shift in American politics from personal (if corrupt) leadership to faceless, corporate influence.
The ending is quiet. It doesn't offer a "gotcha" moment. Instead, it leaves you with a sense of "wistful melancholy," as one reviewer put it. You realize that while the characters survived the scandal, the "America" they were trying to build didn't.
That's the real tragedy. It's not a car in a pond. It's the slow, steady erosion of a dream.
To truly understand the nuances of the plot, your next step should be to compare the character of Henry Bonwiller with the historical records of the 1972 Democratic primaries, specifically focusing on the collapse of Edmund Muskie's campaign and the "crying speech." This provides the necessary context to see where Canin is sticking to history and where he is weaving his own "literary Photoshop."