by Annie Proulx
First published 1996
An accordion arrives in America with a Sicilian immigrant, carrying hopes for a new life. The instrument passes through many hands across generations and geography, witnessing the struggles of those who possess it. From Louisiana bayous to Chicago tenements, from Mexican borderlands to Midwest farms, each owner faces hardship, violence, and the weight of being an outsider in America. The accordion becomes a silent witness to murder, poverty, racism, and broken dreams. Musicians, laborers, and families clutch this instrument as their cultures clash with an often hostile new world. Proulx traces how each generation inherits not just the accordion but the accumulated grief of those who came before. The stories reveal how America's promise often turns bitter for immigrants seeking belonging.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-saga, fish-out-of-water, generational-trauma
Setting: America, Chicago, Louisiana, Mexico, Midwest, Sicily
Period: 20th-century
381 pages · Hardcover · Scribner
Content warnings: racism, violence