The Sorrows of an American is interesting for a number of reasons. One reason is that Siri Hustvedt’s main character is a male. This is a first in her novels, but I think she pulls it off nicely. A second reason is the many personal and to some extent distasteful things that are exposed in the 
The novel begins with Erik Davidsen, a New York psychoanalyst and the narrator in the book, and his sister Inga. They are taking care of their father’s belongings in Minnesota after his death. While doing this, they find a partially-written memoir along with a very strange letter. The letter indicates unknown secrets in their father’s past.
Having returned to post 9/11 New York – a city with much grief – Erik and Inga try to learn more about the mystery of their father’s past. Erik is a recently divorced psychoanalyst, lonely and a little depressed. Inga and her daughter grieve over her husband’s (Max, a famous novelist) death and the trauma of witnessing the 9/11 attacks. They both live complicated big city lives. And, to complicate matters further, they both become involved in the lives of new lovers. Inga becomes intimately involved with the man writing Max’s biography, and Erik increasingly becomes obsessed with one of his tenants, a woman named Miranda, a Jamaican artist.
To a large extent The Sorrows of an American is a novel about identity, change and redefinition. The main characters find, to their surprise, that those they loved were not quite the people they thought they were. Their histories as individuals change. How does this affect them? And, of course, the more sorrows and unknowns they uncover in their father’s past, the more they have to face and deal with in their own lives.
There are many extremely witty and interesting observations in this book, for example, when Erik discusses his problems with the world of psychiatry with Inga. He feels it is sad that patients in institutions are now referred to as ‘customers’. ‘That’s revolting,’ says Inga. ‘That’s America,’ replies Erik.
Siri Hustvedt has a way with words and language. The book is written with what a reviewer called “spare Scandinavian elegance”. She is a pleasure to read. However, this is a complicated and intelligent novel. There are many things to keep track of, and much that needs pondering even in the smallest details. As well, the novel moves back and forth in time, and sometimes digresses. Thus it is not an easy novel to read.
The story is evocative, multi-dimensional and as complex as life itself. Her examination of the role of personal fictions is intriguing. The Sorrows of an American is a “smart” book that provokes thinking. To my mind a great but demanding read!
It is a rare writer who can both rouse the mind and grip the heart, and all the while provide the sensuous delights of image and language — Lisa Appignanesi, The Independent
[Hustvedt] takes unapologetic delight in intellectual characters who understand their lives through far-ranging reading and lively conversation — Sylvia Brownrigg, New York times Book Review
.. a masterful semi-self-portrait by turns abstract and realistic, intimate and alienating, effulgent and bleak, concise and blurry, straightforward and elusive — Sarah Emily Miano, Times
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“This is a first in her novels……. ” What about Leo in What I loved ?
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