American Rust cover

American Rust

by Philipp Meyer

A heart-wrenching, unputdownable tale of redemption and survival in small-town America in the tradition of Richard Ford, Pete Dexter and Cormac McCarthy.'...prying the lid off a rusted can of failed hope and small-town secrets...his taut, direct prose strikes the perfect tone for this kaleidoscope of fractured dreams...honest and unflinching storytelling.' Amazon, Book of the Month'American Rust is both darkly disturbing and richly compelling, signals the arrival of a new voice in American letters.' Patricia Cornwell'With its strong narrative engine and understated social insight, American Rust is reminiscent of the best of Robert Stone and Russell Banks. Author Philipp Meyer locates the heart of his working class characters without false sentiment or condescension, and their world is artfully described.' George Pelecanos

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?