The Locals Summary
Dee, Jonathan

The Locals Overview

Jonathan Dee's sprawling social novel, The Locals, focuses on life in Howland, a small town in western Massachusetts, in the years immediately following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. When a wealthy hedge fund manager from New York City wins political office in Howland, funding most of the town's operations out of his own pocket, his governing style challenges local traditions. Covering such ground as post-9/11 surveillance and the 2008 housing market crisis, Dee's novel explores themes of democracy, patriotism, and the shifting American dream.