The chronology of this story takes place precisely between election day in November 2008 and Barack Obama’s inauguration day in January 2009. The Big Guy voted for McCain, and his daughter, who was voting for the first time, did the same… but the election results were not what they had hoped for. From that moment on, everything begins to unfold, or rather to fall apart. The Big Guy creates a group of Republicans who will do whatever it takes to ensure that this never happens again, while his wife tries to recover from her alcoholism, and his daughter realises that her life and family are not quite what and who she thought they were. It’s an interesting novel but also an alarming one.
“It’s late afternoon, the trees are almost bare and a chill is creeping into the air. There is a truth to nature that Meghan admires. Nature doesn’t pretend; it doesn’t hide; it simply is. Trees are expressive. Rocks hold history. These connections are more trustworthy than those with humans, some of whom have either the desire or the skill to conceal their emotions or manipulate. A rock doesn’t do something to get the response it’s looking for. A tree doesn’t shed its leaves because it is jealous of another – but it might grow differently if blocked by another or if a different kind of tree grows next to it.”