A Good American

by Alex George

  Writing this book was an illuminating experience. It shone a light on my own feelings about moving here. Despite the long and generally amicable relationship between England and America (if we pass discreetly over the War of Independence), people still relish the little things that divide us, like the funny way I talk. But having lived here for some time now, I prefer to consider what unites us. I practiced law for eight years in England, and when I arrived here I had to requalify as an attorney. While I was studying for the bar exam I learned that much of the American legal system was (unsurprisingly) based on the English one. But there remain important differences. Many of the rights of which Americans are so rightly proud—freedom of speech, of religion, of association—are enshrined in the amendments to the United States Constitution. England has no equivalent. We rely instead on cloudier concepts, on an unwritten constitution, shrouded by centuries of jurisprudence.

  But I like the American system more. As a writer, I think that the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution are two of the most exciting and inspiring documents ever written. The principles and beliefs upon which this country was founded are unimpeachable. I am a lawyer and a novelist, and so I have a reverence for words. They are the tools of both of my trades. America’s founding documents provide the guiding light by which much of the world sets its course for the future. In 1630, as he stood on the deck of the Arabella just before landing in New England for the first time, John Winthrop preached a sermon that talked of the new settlement as a “city on a hill.” Winthrop knew that the eyes of the world would be upon them. Nothing has changed. The world still looks to America for hope, for inspiration, and for guidance. It’s one reason people have always dreamed of coming here, by fair means or foul.

  One of the appeals of the immigrant tale is its ubiquity. Almost every family living in the United States today has a story similar to this one somewhere in its past. Whether ten years ago or three hundred years ago, whether through due process or by way of a midnight ghosting across an unmanned border, whether by slave boat or luxury airplane, we all came here from somewhere.

  A brief note for nature lovers: In general, raccoons are nocturnal animals, but some do emerge during the day. When they do, they are not—contrary to popular belief—necessarily rabid. Rosa’s friendship with Mr. Jim is based on real-life experience—although not, I am willing to admit, my own. Raccoons are, of course, wild animals and do not make good pets. Jette was wise not to allow Mr. Jim into her house.

  Finally, a brief word about the music. At around the same time that I was beginning to consider immigration as a theme for this novel, my former wife’s great-aunt passed away. Halfway through the memorial service, four men (who, I later discovered, were brothers) stood up at the front of the church and sang a beautiful, close-harmony version of “Abide with Me.” And as I listened, while I should have been thinking about our recently departed family member, all I could think was: I must put this in a novel. So I did. (Sorry, Ethel.)

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Alex George is an Englishman who lives, works, and writes in Missouri. He studied law at Oxford University and worked for eight years as a corporate lawyer in London and Paris before moving to the United States in 2003.