D.H. Schleicher's Reviews > A Good American

Alex George's multi-generational German-immigrants-in-Missouri saga A Good American was overly sentimental, sometimes offensive, often tone-deaf (minority characters were broadly drawn props to serve the greater story arcs of the white, male characters), overlong, jammed with far too many coincidences, and had a tacked-on "big family secret" twist at the end that fell completely flat.

Yet somehow this thing held my attention and entertained me against my better judgement with its aww-shucks, wink-wink John Irving style narration. I wanted to hate this, and did not like most of the characters…but it still drew me into its whitewashed world.

Bottom line: I wanted to know what happened to these people, and for better and mostly worst, this novel left no family stone unturned.