Dewey Defeats Truman: A novel - Hardcover

Mallon, Thomas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0679444254 ISBN 13: 9780679444251

Publisher: Pantheon, 1997

Synopsis

From a writer whose last book, Henry and Clara, prompted John Updike to declare Thomas Mallon one of the most interesting American novelists at work, comes a story that perfectly captures the delightful romance and wistful magic of our recent, and more innocent, past.

Thomas Mallon has masterfully appropriated a jubilant legend (and famous headline) of modern American history -- Harry Truman's upset victory over Thomas E. Dewey in the 1948 presidential election -- and built around it a midwestern Midsummer Night's Dream.

Set in Dewey's hometown of Owosso, Michigan, this is the captivating story of a local love triangle that mirrors the national election contest. As the voters must decide between candidates, so must Anne Macmurray choose between two suitors: an ardent UAW organizer and his polar opposite, a wealthy lawyer who's certain he will ride to state Senate victory on Republican coattails.

As they weave a small-town tapestry of dreams and secrets, the people of Owosso ready themselves for the fame that is bound to shower down upon them after Dewey's "sure thing" victory.  But as the novel -- and history -- move toward election night, we watch the citizens of Owosso, Anne Macmurray and her suitors in particular, await the outcome of the election and the rearrangement of their fates in a climax filled with suspense, chagrin, and unexpected joy.

About this title

Review:

Despite what the title might imply, this isn't speculative fiction about what would have happened if Thomas Dewey had defeated Harry Truman in 1948. Rather, it's a gently comic novel set in Dewey's home town of Owosso, Michigan, in the period between his presidential nomination in June 1948 and his stunning defeat that November. The town's mania for its native son serves as a framework for the book's story, which centers on a love triangle among Peter Cox, a dashing, up-and-coming young Republican; Jack Riley, a disheveled Democratic union organizer; and Anne Macmurray, a fetching bookstore clerk and would-be novelist. They and other deftly drawn Owossoans move briskly through a plot that smoothly interweaves public and private events. The book is flavored with nostalgia for what the author has called an era with "a lack of sourness."

From the Publisher:

Praise for Thomas Mallon's previous novel Henry and Clara:

"Riveting...Mallon's most polished gem to date."
-- Chicago Tribune

"The powerful story is superbly told...You can't ask for much more from historical fiction."
-- George Garrett, The Washington Post Book World

"Thomas Mallon has retrieved the all-but-forgotten tragedy from history's footnotes...A transporting, beautifully written novel."
-- Entertainment Weekly

About this edition

• Publisher: Pantheon
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0679444254
• ISBN 13: 9780679444251
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 355