'The concluding argument of Dix, Jarvis and Jenner's fine book is "that to engage keenly with current American fiction is not a dry-as-dust academic exercise but itself an act charged with political significance." The authors make their case well, presenting strong and well-judged readings of nine recent American novels, indicating their representative function in terms of consumer capitalism, race, hemispheric transnationalism and globalisation. If this sounds disconcertingly abstract, this book is far from that, giving an immensely readable, bang up-to-date and skilled introduction to the American novel at this point in our history, and the reasons for its continued vitality and importance. Aimed at a student audience, it will bring the subject alive for them, but will also offer many stimulating insights to any scholar or general reader interested in this topic. The book takes a complicated and contentious field and charts a way through it with authority and verve: a real achievement.'

Professor Peter Messent, School of American and Canadian Studies, University of Nottingham, UK

To match brevity with wit, conciseness with comprehensiveness, is no easy task, but one that the authors of The Contemporary American Novel in Context execute with considerable verve and to great success... this portable study nonetheless telescopes diverse sociocultural contexts and complex literary texts with remarkable clarity. It is therefore highly recommendable to instructors and more
senior academics as a teaching and reference aid, and, in particular, to students seeking
keen insights into contemporary American literature and culture.

Anthony Warde, Sheffield Hallam University, Journal of American Studies, 46, May 2012