Go back in time to when Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham were students at Yale Law School. They notice one another, sense an immediate attraction, develop a romantic relationship, and are equals and wildly compatible in every way, sexually, intellectually, emotionally. They are considered by all the unlikeliest couple, yet fulfill one another completely. After graduation, Bill must return to Arkansas to pave the way for his destiny, a successful political career, but his heart’s desire is for Hillary to join him there and be his wife. After some months together, Hillary working as a law professor, Bill losing a Congressional race, then beginning a push for state Attorney General, Bill’s serial infidelities emerge. He confesses that this is a struggle he has always had, and Hillary ends their relationship.

How would Bill and Hillary proceed in life? Would Bill’s serial affairs and compulsive sexual liaisons do him in? Would they each pursue political ambitions? Would life bring them back together somehow? Bill and Hillary are so intertwined in the public consciousness, it is hard to separate them and conceive of them as individuals, with separate aspirations. They are like two planets, each with a strong gravitational force— it is nearly impossible to see them as separate, so influenced are each by the other., for good or ill. This novel is a fun thought experiment, to imagine each without the influence of the other, and see how different history might have been, how different their trajectories could have gone.

Regardless of your political views or affiliation, and no matter how you feel about the Bill and Hillary as we know them, as they were, this is a fun read. Sittenfeld really does a good job of getting into their heads, expressing their views as you might imagine them. I think she does a good job of faithfully rendering their voices, and imagining scenes that might have, or actually did occur. The story is told from Hillary’s perspective, so it is fun to read what Sittenfeld thinks Hillary may of thought at various points, like Obama’s victory speech at Grant Park, or at campaign events. I’m trying to be careful not to spoil the plot for you, as it is a wonderful climax and conclusion. Hillary was so often perceived as shrill or like a cross school principal. Rodham helps you to appreciate how very difficult it will be for any woman to make it through the election process and succeed to win the highest office. To sound serious without losing your femininity, to appeal to voters in a human way, while exhibiting a command of the issues, to debate forcefully and aggressively without turning off half the nation—it is a nearly impossible task. Most of all, to build a resume that will make you a contender, but still have a family, if you so desire, is a truly difficult task. Sittenfeld makes the reader see what a nearly impossible task it is to accomplish.

A perfect summer read, enjoy how the author imagines one possible life journey for Hillary Rodham and Bill Clinton, in a most believable and entertaining way. Highly recommend.