Midwestern Fiction: Curtis Sittenfeld Novels, Ranked
Sittenfeld writes approachable, amusing fiction, and her newest release includes an SNL-inspired novel called Romantic Comedy.
Many years ago in an airport bookstore (the year her debut novel came out), I first encountered and rapidly read Curtis Sittenfeld’s fiction. I’ve enjoyed most of her books since then, and here’s how they stack up—from best to most forgettable:
1. Romantic Comedy
What it’s about: an ordinary writer (who works on a fictionalized version of Saturday Night Live) meets a celebrity, and their connection might last longer than their initial work assignment.
Set before—and during—the COVID-19 pandemic, this book is a highly entertaining escape into the behind-the-scenes world of people working in the entertainment industry. Romantic Comedy is also a quick read, and the familiarity of an SNL-type show makes the setting appealing for most readers.
2. Prep
What it’s about: a kid from the Midwest applies to an East Coast boarding school on a whim. This coming-of-age book was Sittenfeld’s debut. The cover design caught my eye and I still appreciate it years later.
Prep was written many years ago, and the book marks a meaningful place in my heart: it represents the first time fiction allowed me to consciously realize so many amusing and resonant truths about the culture of the Midwest region where I grew up. Since then, I’ve read—and enjoyed—other works of fiction set in the Midwest by Celeste Ng and J. Ryan Stradal.
Fiction fan club: What authors echo the truths of your hometown? Whose work do you follow, book after book? Share your take in the comments…
3. Eligible
This book is a modern retelling of the Jane Austen story, Pride and Prejudice—Sittenfeld’s novel follows Midwestern characters, including those obsessed with CrossFit.
I don’t want to say too much about this one because I don’t want to spoil any of the plot points. I will say that I found the journeys of each character to be impressively surprising—even for a retelling of a well-known story.
4. American Wife
What it’s about: a liberal-ish educator meets and marries a man from a high-profile Republican family.
With a Midwestern twist, this story reimagines the life of Laura Bush—if she (and the family she married into) were from Wisconsin instead of Texas. I found the names that Sittenfeld invented to represent famous members of the Bush family to be creative and on point. From a cover art perspective, American Wife looked more like a very old historical fiction to me—I think it should have been slightly more modern to convey that the story is actually set during recent decades (within my lifetime).
4b. Honorable mention goes to another political figure novel by Sittenfeld that I haven’t read yet: Rodham, which imagines an alternative history of Hillary Clinton. It’s on my 300-ish-book-long TBR list, but since political-themed novels aren’t always as swaying as, say, a novel about creators of video games, so I have so many others that I’m likely to read first. I also don’t fully love alternate histories (like the Amazon series, Man In The High Castle) so I’m not sure if Rodham will capture my interest.
5. Sisterland
What it’s about: twin sisters who are potentially clairvoyant sense the possibility of an earthquake—even though this type of seismic activity is rare in the Midwest.
The earthquake theme in this book reminded me ever so slightly of an old Jonathan Franzen novel called Strong Motion, although as I recall, that book is a commentary on the negative impacts of fracking.
The similarities and differences between twins can be an enticing backdrop for a story, and Sisterland had some interesting character contrasts. But, as Sittenfeld describes in the book, one of the characters is a young mother who tolerates or even enjoys the “tedium” of motherhood. Because of this, I found large sections of the book to be dull (like real life parenting of young children can sometimes be).
Thinking back on those passages, I’m glad my own children have entered a more independent (and interesting-to-me) phase of life, as I’d rather have a dinner table conversation about what my preteen is learning in art class or achieving at swim practice versus to debating the merits of a potty-trained toddler wearing Pull-Ups at night “just in case.”
6. The Man of My Dreams
What it’s about: I don’t fully recall - perhaps searching for the right romantic partner during early adulthood?
I’ve ranked this novel last for several reasons. When I looked back in my Goodreads history, I forgot that I’d read this one—which doesn’t happen very often. I also didn’t love the cover design or feel especially drawn to the title.
The Man of My Dreams was not the book of my dreams. If you’re looking for a stack of relatable fiction, I’d probably skip this one, but I highly recommend that readers check out a couple of Curtis Sittenfeld’s other books. She makes the seemingly ordinary (usually Midwestern) characters come alive with subtle-yet-extraordinary humor.