Unamerica

Read this for a book club (HOWLS) and I enjoyed it both less and then more than I thought I would.

The initial premise sounded intriguing (secret underground city at the US/Mexico border), but I was flabbergasted by the density of the prose. Goodfellow packed so much information into each sentence that the reading experience was a bit overwhelming, perhaps not unlike the chaotic setting described in the novel itself. This is a literary achievement, but was nevertheless an intense and somewhat challenging read. I also found the plot somewhat hard to follow. At various points I really felt like I had no idea what was going on and I was just along for the ride.

Content wise the book is a dystopian horror examination of our present and recent past in America. Goodfellow examines capitalism, immigration policy, American exceptionalism, and faith through a complex narrative with strong cyberpunk vibes.

As the book went on I became more and more interested and I actually really enjoyed the ending. I liked Unamerica. It's a book that would probably merit a second reading, albeit I don't relish the prospect of diving into the dense prose again. If they made an audiobook version of this with a really good narrator, I'd love to listen to it!