THE BREAKUP by Kurt Anderson

4 stars

 An immersive, compelling fictionalization of America splitting apart beginning in 2036 based on a new civil war between former MAGA supporters turned all-out terrorists wanting a disunion from the perceived Tyranny of the majority. It begins with random killings of civilians, military and government targets by individual militia groups lacking a centralized leadership, though Tucker Carlson seems most positioned to lead them.

The fighting mostly comes down to rural versus city, white versus ethnic tolerance, Southerners versus Northerners, the educated versus the uneducated. Anderson dedicates vast amounts of pages to how this would actually play out logistically. Would America split into two or into multiple countries, how each American would have a choice to stay or go to a new country, how would a military defense of the country work, what happens to the jailed terrorists, how would a new government form, and so on in elaborate detail and postulation. The whole scenario seems plausible given the current seemingly irreparable hatred between the two political factions in the United States.

But the true gravitas of the novel lies in a broken relationship between a husband and wife over political issues. Ash Zimbalist, a politically active and esteemed academic dean, takes a job based in Silicon Valley with a biotech billionaire who’s looking to forge independence of his neurotech company from U.S. control and funding. His Cuban-immigrant, poet and writer wife Natalie can’t stand the self-congratulatory tech bubble of San Fransico and her husband’s obsession with politics, and retreats to their idyllic nature-infused, rural Tennessee home taking a break both from politics and her husband’s political obsession. Their marital break-up parallels all the complexity of America being divided, and the novel’s most poignant moments center on whether Natalie and Ash can reconcile their person differences and in essence forge a new marital country.

All this comes to a head as Natalie, Ash and their daughter Logan go on a extended college road trip together. This is where the most compelling writing and heart of the novel kicks into gear and you become most emotionally engaged.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.