America's Report Card

When Jainey O’Sullivan responds creatively to the last essay question on her high school’s standardized test—proclaiming that the government killed her art teacher for speaking out against Bush—she has no idea she’s set off a chain of events that will irrevocably alter her existence. Her answer is reviewed by Charlie Wolf, a hapless test scorer fresh out of graduate school, and he interprets Jainey’s writing as a plea for help. Determined to offer his assistance, he uproots his complacent life in Iowa, relocating to the girl’s hometown of Burbank, Illinois. There he settles in at a seedy hotel and waits for their lives to converge.

Not long after their first encounter, the two form an unlikely duo. Charlie provides Jainey with much-needed sanctuary while Jainey unearths a vast government conspiracy spearheaded by Charlie’s employer, the National Testing Center. Together, they come to grips with their discovery, while also struggling to resolve a few messy personal issues.

Admittedly, there are many aspects of this plot that are wildly absurd. But McNally approaches his story with a sense of fun, creating a reality that seems probable despite its abnormalities. He blends memorable characters into his wicked satire, painting a portrait of life in Chicago’s Southwest Suburbs—where racial tensions run high and working-class sensibilities prevail—that is painfully accurate.

McNally’s colorful supporting cast, which includes Jainey’s heavy metal–obsessed brother, her beleaguered art teacher and Charlie’s aloof Russian girlfriend, personifies the conflicting emotions of a polarized nation, but not at the expense of the characters’ nuanced personalities.

It’s rare to find such a thought-provoking novel that is also so effortlessly entertaining. Report Card is a book you can take to the beach, and use as a catalyst for beach-blanket political discussion.—Jenny Seay