by Ethan Canin
First published 2008
Corey Sifter tends the grounds of the Metarey estate in a small town during the early 1970s. The son of working-class parents, he finds his world expanding when the wealthy Metarey family sends him to private boarding school and arranges for him to work as an aide to Senator Henry Bonwiller's presidential campaign. Corey becomes romantically involved with one of the Metarey daughters while navigating the complex world of national politics. As Bonwiller's campaign builds momentum, Corey discovers that loyalty and gratitude pull him in different directions from his moral compass. The web of relationships between the Metareys, the senator, and his own family forces him to choose between the privileged world he has entered and the values of his upbringing. Set against the backdrop of Nixon's presidency, the story follows how personal decisions intersect with political ambition to shape both individual lives and American history.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, moral-dilemma
Setting: Metarey Estate, Small Town
Period: Early 1970s
458 pages · Hardcover · Random House