READING ROOM: the latest books, plus a Great Read by Curtis Sittenfeld
As America stumbles into election season, it’s tempting to recall what could have been if Hillary Clinton had made it to the White House instead of Donald Trump. This extraordinary novel is a piece of fantasy fiction, conjuring a world of what ifs. What if Hillary had rejected Bill Clinton’s marriage proposal? What if she had pursued her own political dreams earlier and managed to run for president unencumbered by the judgements attached to her husband’s devastating fall from grace? What if Hillary had been able to fly?
It’s a fascinating premise which delves into the adult life of Hillary Rodham, told in her ‘supposed’ words and starting at college, where she catches the eye of the handsome, exciting Bill Clinton. “The first time I saw him, I thought he looked like a lion,” says our fictional Hillary. What follows, of course, traces Hillary’s political growth but also her sexual awakening – via a torrid relationship with Bill – and her internal crises of confidence and battles to be taken seriously.
Author Curtis Sittenfeld doesn’t know Hillary or Bill but read extensively about them and then let her imagination take over. “My research affirmed my admiration for Hillary — I think she’s smart, tough, hard-working and compassionate. I read the first quarter of Bill’s almost 1000-page autobiography, up until they got married, and I did fall for his charms on the page, even though I’m wary of many of the choices he’s made,” she tells me. “Around the time of the 2016 election, I realised that school children who knew Hillary Clinton was running for president didn’t necessarily know that Bill Clinton existed, let alone know how much baggage accompanies him in the American consciousness. After the election, I wondered how it might have played out if adults also didn’t perceive Hillary and Bill as intertwined.”
That vision is captivating and also daring, since while much of the first half of the novel actually happened, the second half is all imagined. And while it wouldn’t be fair to reveal what happens, safe to say it’s just as nail-biting as Hillary’s actual election race, with the added benefit that we are in Hillary’s head. I couldn’t put it down.