One science fiction staple is the alternate history, but in this case, it’s being tried by a mainstream author. The novel posits that Charles Lindbergh becomes president in 1940 instead of Franklin Roosevelt, and as a result, America makes a secret pact with Hitler, and programs to isolate and eventually imprison American Jews are begun.

The story is told from the point of view of a 9-year-old Jewish boy, filtered through the small world of his Newark neighborhood, his Jewish neighbors and his family life. I found the story interesting and engaging, although Roth’s writing style is a bit long-winded for me at times.

There were two things about the story that ultimately disappointed me, though. The first was that the ending, which put everything back in order, was a little too pat to be believed. The second was that the Lindbergh election and a few related events were the only changes to history; real history took up more or less where it left off once the Lindbergh administration was ousted. More interesting questions - such as what did the Germans do with that extra time before America entered the war? defeat Russia? invent the bomb? - were never explored. I realize that wasn’t Roth’s point, that he was instead examining the incipience of fascism in a seemingly free society and quite possibly commenting on current events, but as a fan of alternate history, I was left feeling very unsatisfied.