A Country of Strangers (1989) by Susan Richards Shreve

 1,001 Novels: A Library of America

A Country of Strangers (1989)

by Susan Richards Shreve

Elm Grove, Virginia

Virginia: 15/17

     Set in then-rural Virginia outside of Washington DC, A Country of Strangers is a work of historical fiction (World War II) about the intertwined fates of two families, one African-American and the other white.  Like many of the less succesful titles on the 1,001 Novels list (I had to buy a copy because the Los Angeles Public Library doesn't have one), A Country of Strangers has some interesting moments and take the notion of "place" seriously, but wasn't compelling as an overall work.   Author Shreve hints at some interesting subjects- the idea of an interracial, extra-martial affair between the Danish immigrant wife of the white couple and the husband of the African American family, but doesn't take it far enough to create real interest in the reader.   The plot line involving a pregnant 13 year old from a cadet branch of the African American family sparks interest but the character herself, named Prudential after the insurance company, does not.