'American Rust' examines those left behind in American dream

For his first novel, Philipp Meyer could have taken stock of his life, plumbed his memories. There was certainly material, starting with a precocious childhood growing up in working class Baltimore as the child of "recovering hippies." Books were a passion -- Meyer read John Steinbeck's "The Pearl" in second grade, "Crime and Punishment" in the seventh grade -- but schoolwork was not. Thus a G.E.D. at 16, followed by a stint volunteering at a trauma center. Then on to study English at Cornell University, followed by a job on Wall Street trading derivatives.

There were more jobs when the financial world failed to hold his interest: as a construction worker, an EMT, and then, finally, as a fellow at the Michener Center for Writers in Austin, Texas.

Some story, but not one Meyer felt comfortable revisiting.

"One of my (writing) instructors said when you leave your home and come back to it, you have 24 to 36 hours to see things as they really are," Meyer says. "And then you fall back into the groove of normal life. The needle falls back into the groove of the record and you're carried along blindly. And so, I don't think I'll ever write about Baltimore. I don't think I can see it clearly enough to write about it."

Instead Meyer's first book, "American Rust" is set in the Mon Valley. Two young men, Isaac and Poe, are seemingly incompatible, an intellectual and an athlete. Their friendship was forged, in part, by the recognition they were the best, in academics and football, respectively. But, two years after graduating high school, they are both stuck in the fictional Fayette County town of Buell, aimless and drifting, until an incident occurs that irrevocably changes both their lives. Isaac leaves town; Poe stays behind. They represent "the two sides of my childhood," Meyer says,

The rest of the novel is a study in observation. Meyer's keen eye for details -- he cites Vincent's Pizza in Forest Hills, the Koppers Building in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pirates pitcher Zach Duke and numerous landmarks in the Mon Valley -- comes by way of a friend who lives in that area, and his brother, James Meyer, who lives in Highland Park.

But the story itself was cast from recent history, especially the death of the steel industry more than two decades ago. Even as the region's legendary work ethic is still propagated.

"I think Pittsburgh is one of those quintessential American cities," Meyer says. "For a long time, it was almost a representation of the American dream. You'd get off the boat and get there, and, if you had a good work ethic, you were going to get a job, you were going to be able to support your family, and you were going to make a name for yourself. I think, nationally, everyone knows that this is what Pittsburgh stands for."

One of Meyer's interests is what happens when the American dream is no longer possible. "American Rust" examines the lives of the families left behind when industry fails, or leaves, and when a way of life is diminished beyond repair.

"This is a novel that takes an honest look about what life is like for millions, and now tens of millions of people, in our country," Meyer says. "It's honest about people's failings, it's honest about people's strengths. I'm not sure there is an underlying political message, but I wanted to look at, as a writer, the things you have to hold yourself to: truth with a capital 'T' and honesty."

Meyer's characters -- including Poe's mother, Grace; Isaac's sister, Lee; and Harris, the chief of police -- are all given space to speak. But it is Poe especially who realizes the fragility of life, who is most aware of the decisions he's made -- turning down a football scholarship, refusing to leave town for other jobs -- and the resulting consequences.

"I'm constantly surprised when I meet someone who I've sort of sized up and taken for granted and passed some judgment on who has some amazing interior landscape, an amazing complex way of thinking about life and the world," Meyers says. "I think that everyone has it in them to think about this stuff. It's sort of part of the background noise that drives a lot of our decisions without us being aware of it.There are only a small number of people who are actually aware of it. But all of the people in this book are being pushed to their limit. ... They're put in these very difficult positions. And so I wanted to resist the idea that Poe, as a football player, was not going to have some deeper thoughts about his mortality."

Additional Information:

'American Rust'

Author: Philipp Meyer

Publisher: Spiegel & Grau, $24.95, 367 pages

Capsule Review: Philipp Meyer captures the fading pulse of a dying community in his captivating first novel, 'American Rust.' Set in Fayette County, the author • a Baltimore native • examines a community that endures despite the loss of industry. Meyer's writing is inventive without being pretentious, but it's the finely tuned characters • people who are seen but often dismissed • that make 'American Rust' a compelling literary achievement.

Additional Information:

Meyer's talk and book signing

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday

Admission: Free

Where: Joseph-Beth Books , South Side

Details: 412-381-3600