All the sad young literary men

The book follows Evie Boyd, a 14-year-old girl living in Northern California in the summer of 1969. Evie is struggling with her parents' divorce and feels disconnected from her family. She becomes fascinated with a group of older girls she sees in the park, particularly Suzanne, and eventually joins them at their ranch, which is led by the charismatic and manipulative Russell. The novel explores themes of teenage vulnerability, the desire for belonging, and the dangers of cult culture. The story alternates between Evie's experiences in 1969 and her life decades later, reflecting on the impact of those events on her life[1][4][5].

American Pastoral is a novel by Philip Roth that delves into the life of Seymour 'Swede' Levov, a Jewish-American businessman and former high school star athlete from Newark, New Jersey. The story, narrated by Nathan Zuckerman, unfolds at a 45th high school reunion where Zuckerman learns about the tragic events that shattered the Levov family's seemingly perfect life. The novel explores themes of the American Dream, assimilation, and the social and political upheaval of the 1960s, particularly through the actions of Swede's daughter Merry, who becomes involved in anti-war activism and commits a violent act. The book is part of Roth's American Trilogy, which also includes 'I Married a Communist' and 'The Human Stain'. It won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and is praised for its vivid character portraits and its exploration of the complexities and disillusionments of American life in the late 20th century.