The title of this book should have a question mark after Real Americans; the main question and theme throughout the story is both literal and figurative, “What defines real Americans?” Matthew Maier is wealthy and well-bred. His family owns a pharmaceutical company, and they have homes in Florida, the Hamptons, NYC, and elsewhere. Lily is a struggling decorator whose parents, highly educated geneticists, emigrated from China. Matthew and Lily meet and have a tenuous relationship but end up marrying and having a child, Nick.
Nick, although the son of the union of a Caucasian and an Asian, passes for white. When Lily realizes that her mother had conducted a DNA experiment on her and altered her genetic makeup, she leaves Matthew, stops talking to her mother, and raises Nick in virtual poverty. As we follow Nick’s growth and relationships, we learn so much about human nature and life in the United States of America. Then, when we learn more about Nick’s grandparents, one set of struggling yet educated immigrants and the other set of well-established upper-crust Americans, we genuinely challenge our assumptions and question how we use technology for the betterment of life.
There are multiple layers to the interpretation of this novel. One question the reader might consider while absorbing the plot is whether there is a difference between a secret and a lie. Another strong theme is latent racism and assumptions about power and powerlessness based on race in America. The morality of personal, scientific, corporate, and cultural decisions permeates the novel. One has to wonder how to define ethics in our modern America.
