Revisionist Historical Fiction: The Big 'What If'

Two books that struck me were The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon and The Plot Against America by Philip Roth.

Roth's Plot is an eerie picture of anti-Semetism in America, set under an alternate reality. Unlike many 'what-if' scenarios, this picture comes tightly together throughout the foten slow storyline. You get this sense of disbelief as you go along (paralelling the strong characters' own incredulance), and, even though in the back of your mind you suspect you know what is really going on, you say, "no, that can't be right-- they're just being paranoid."
The premise is that Charles Lindbergh, the beloved pilot who awed the world with his 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic (and against all odds) encapsulated the image of a true American hero. After his infant son's kidnapping and eventual murder, he had the full sympathy of the American population, and when he waltzed in on the Republican National Convention at a time when the party had no strong candidate, he easily won the election for presidency.

Soon thereafter, Jewish families across America started to feel the squeeze of anti-Semetism, most profoundly in the form of assimilation. Sons are sent away to host families (always good Christian families) as part of a government program by the Office of American Absorption. Some realize what is going on and immediately move to Canada, while most families are in disbelief or denial. In the end, a viscious anti-Semetic plot is unveiled, and by this time, the reader is so engulfed in this made-up fantasy that you believe every word.

The book is beautifully written-- much like the rest of Roth's novels. But Plot is a bit different in style. It's a lot cleaner and a bit slower. It actually progresses in a forward chronological order, unlike Portnoy's Complaint. Some of the sentence structres are very complex, and may contain two or three independent clauses. You may have to track bacwards to get the full impact of every sentence.

Such a good book.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union is the same type of revisionist historical fiction as Plot. The premise of Union is that the founding of the State of Israel didn't pan out, and Jews were relocated to a peninsula in Alaska. In this setting, there is an outward, accepted an practiced anti-Semitism, unlike in Plot Against America. In this sense, the characters are more involved in revolutionary activities. Chabon paints a creepy image of the Jewish community, and how the divides within it are as pronounced, if not more, even when placed under such unfair, racist conditions. Union contained some great sci-fi-like scenarios and used Esperanzo (always a plus!) to create an image of a crowded, disadvantaged ghetto, reminiscent of Holocaust-era ghettos. There's a good deal of hope and cheering for the good guy in this one.

Also loved it.