Rodham, a book review
Curtis Sittenfeld
Random House, 2020
My first introduction to Curtis Sittenfeld and their work
was at the Festival of Faith & Writing at Calvin University in April. There
are times I wish I could turn back the clock—before this year’s election.
Sittenfeld’s novel does just that—providing a parallel universe in which to
dwell, if only in our dreams.
Again, in this sideways/circular moment in history, Rodham
can perhaps be read as satire, a mesmerizing what-if.
The premise of the book is that Hillary Rodham never marries
Bill Clinton.
The first third of the novel is devoted to Hillary meeting
Bill Clinton at Yale Law School and their early courtship and sex life. A bit
of this reads rather cringey—but I think that might have been intentional. I
filed it under Too Much Information—at the same time trying to keep in mind
this is all a made up story. But it’s hard to separate fact from fiction in
this first part. Then comes their break up.
Bill eventually marries, divorces, remarries, and becomes a
Silicon Valley billionaire, who decides to run for president. At the exact same
time Hillary is running for the Democratic nomination.
You see the tension here.
Mixed into the story is Donald Trump and other real life
political actors, including a mention of Kamala Harris. The irony is not lost
on me that I was discreetly reading this book while working at the polls
November 5. I was desperately trying to finish the book as it was due at the
library. By the end of the night Kamala Harris had lost and Hillary Rodham had
won. How I wish for a switcher-roo.
I don’t think I’m giving too much away about the plot with
that last reveal. What the author did was a reimagining of a real-life person,
giving her her own context, fleshing her out sexually, intellectually, and
emotionally. She wasn’t a perfect character. What the book does is act as a
rational counterpoint to the many criticisms that arise when a woman runs for
higher office—anything anywhere that seems beyond a traditional role. That all
her male challenger has to do is mention she looks worn out and every one
wonders if she might go berserk because of hormones or because woman are
naturally not suited for the rigors of the presidency. Whatever stupid
inference that might pop up, she had to be able to get ahead of or smooth over
with the press, etc.
I remember when she ran in 2016, a good friend who was a
died-in-the-wool Democrat whispered one time to me that he didn’t trust her. At
the time I found it a weird comment, but one I came to understand many men
uttered or felt. I only remember thinking: This sounds sexist. Did anyone ever
stop to ask themselves that question when Bill Clinton ran? Or it simply didn’t
matter----we wanted what he had to offer, hope and optimism, a counterpart to
George Bush, it was time for a change in leadership. Or whatever reason people
tell themselves when checking a box on their ballot.
I sincerely have no idea.
Back to my review of Rodham. If you have time in between
stress eating and getting off social media and reaching out to friends or
cutting off friends, pick up this book and begin a journey into an alternative
world of possibility. For now it seems the only way we can have a woman
president is to read about it.
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