Changing History

I received an ARC from NetGalley. In exchange for reading, here’s my review:

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld

In changing the history of the last thirty years, Sittenfeld created a new political world to imagine in Rodham. The reader gets to see what the world would look like if one historical figure never married another. Without that marriage, how would all the events we have experienced be different? This mix of make-believe and real life make this book strange but unforgettable.

In this “other timeline”, Hillary Clinton never marries Bill. She dates Bill, and she falls in love with Bill; she almost marries Bill, but she doesn’t. Instead, she has a political career based on her aspirations, rather than following on the heels of Bill.

When playing in the world of “what if” there are many different directions Rodham could have taken Hillary. I was excited by the prospects, especially the idea of Hillary as a Supreme Court justice. I was hoping we would quickly move quickly beyond Bill and into the realm of political aspirations and workaholism. I was disappointed at how much Bill remains central to this story. I was a little disappointed we had to return to the 2016 elections and the mention of Donald Trump. There was also too much of Hillary’s sex life which made me feel like I was reading fan fiction at times.

Overall, this book is a great exploration of single womanhood. I loved the characterization of Hillary and the secondary characters. As a piece of fiction, it’s interesting. Don’t compare this to the real Hillary Clinton. Treat it as fiction and it’ll be strange, but fun.