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Title details for American Subversive by David Goodwillie - Available

American Subversive

A Novel

by David Goodwillie
David Drummond
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
As the twenty-first century enters its second decade, foreign wars, the lingering recession, and a caustic political environment are taking their toll on Americans. But the party hasn't ended for Aidan Cole and his friends, a band of savvy, if cynical, New York journalists and bloggers who thrive at the intersection of media and celebrity. At wine-sodden dinner parties or in dimly lit downtown bars, their frenetic talk—of scoops and page views, sexual adventures, and trendy restaurants—continues unabated. Then, without warning, the specter of terrorism reenters their lives. A bomb rips through the deserted floor of a midtown office tower. Middle Eastern terrorists are immediately suspected. But four days later, with no arrests and a city on edge, an anonymous e-mail arrives in Aidan's in-box. Attached is the photograph of an attractive, young white woman, along with a chilling message: "This is Paige Roderick. She's the one responsible."


So begins an extraordinary journey into the dark soul of modern America—from a back-to-the-land community in the Smoky Mountains to a Weather Underground–like bomb factory in Vermont; from Fishers Island, isolated getaway of the wealthy elite, to the hip lofts of Manhattan's Meatpacking District. American Subversive is David Goodwillie's sharp and penetrating take on the paranoia of our times—and its real, untold dangers. In examining the connection between our collective apathy and the roots of insurrection, Goodwillie has crafted an intoxicating story of two young Americans grasping for a foothold in a culture—and a country—that's crumbling around them.


With this debut novel, Goodwillie announces himself as a major new voice in American fiction. Expertly written, relentlessly suspenseful, and bitingly funny, American Subversive is both an unnervingly realistic tale of domestic terrorism and a perfectly observed portrait of Manhattan in the digital age.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 7, 2010

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781400197545
      • File size: 352361 KB
      • Duration: 12:14:05

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 30, 2010
      When terrorists attack a Manhattan high-rise, Aidan Cole receives a tip that the culprit is actually homegrown and fails to meet the stereotypical profile for terrorist bombers. This journey leads him to dark discoveries and dangerous liaisons that will forever alter his view of America. David Drummond’s portrayal of Cole is spot-on and guides the story well even though the tale of beautiful terrorist bomber Paige is not as interesting a listen as it should be. Sadly, Tavia Gilbert’s rendition of the unsuspecting killer is less successful; a tendency to overpronounce words keeps her performance more stagey than convincing. A Scribner hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 4).

    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 4, 2010
      In Goodwillie’s debut novel (after his memoir, Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time
      ), an incisive depiction of radicalism’s seductive roots, the central characters are a good girl gone bad and a would-be journalist turned blogger who wants to do good. Paige Roderick, laid off from her think tank job and devastated by the Iraq War death of her beloved brother, is an easy mark for a shadowy cabal of home-grown terrorists who recruit her from the ranks of weekend environmental warriors. Separately, Aidan Cole, a failed journalism student turned Manhattan gossip blogger, is drawn into her radical orbit (and into a romance) by a phantom from America’s radical past: a former member of the Weather Underground. Part political thriller and part on-the-run love story, Goodwillie’s glimpse of the lapsed idealism that might be fueling America’s subversive underground falls somewhere between Bret Easton Ellis’s Glamorama
      and John Updike’s Terrorist
      . The mix of mocking the jaded hip—the Gawker-like blogging empire that Aidan works for serves as a frequent punching bag—and exploring cultural and social unrest results in a comic and unsettling two-pronged dissection of a subset of contemporary America.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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