The gripping and unpredictable 2024 presidential campaign reads like a novel. You literally can’t make it up—but if anyone could, it would probably be Charles Dickens. Here’s a six-week excerpt from the election summer, written by 10 authors of classic fiction.
The candidate by Cormac McCarthy
McCarthy’s novel moves slowly, like Biden. The gray narrative follows his struggle to figure out whether withdrawing his candidacy is the right decision. Short sentences help the 81-year-old president organize his thoughts.
Trump I, Part III by William Shakespeare
Donald Trump’s overconfidence and recklessness make him a truly Shakespearean protagonist. His strange monologues are complemented by exaggerated language, and the iambic pentameter makes his words surprisingly understandable. Despite the imprecise plot, the audience is captivated by the drama.
The Laughing Warrior by Margaret Atwood
Kamala Harris wants to save a dystopian nation in which women have no right to bodily autonomy. Her opponent claims that if he wins, citizens will never vote again. Atwood clearly has a vivid imagination.
Material Truth: Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
Each short story features a different voter confronted with the shocking reality, including a Project 2025 supporter who learns that the agenda will ban pornography, a liberal arts student who purchases a camouflage hat, and a sofa salesman who confronts customer JD Vance.
Tell me to my face by James Baldwin
A woman has to deal with racism in her “black job” and homophobia in her family. She is excited to vote for Kamala, who knows what it’s like to be marginalized. When “DEI candidate” becomes a euphemism for the N-word, she supports her candidate by doing a silk press with a round brush.
Politeness and decency by Jane Austen
Wealthy white women cautiously discuss politics, join a whites-only Zoom call and raise millions of dollars for Harris. The free indirect speech shows that many of them fear for their vote until they hear Vance disparage “childless cat ladies.”
independence by Tony Morrison
A nonpartisan moderate is still undecided between the candidates. She initially considers trivial factors—like Trump’s raised fist photo and Megan Thee Stallion’s performance—but ghosts, memories and identity conflicts push her to reflect on her values and determine her beliefs.
Be young and free by Zora Neale Hurston
As the nation disintegrates, Gen Z voters love dancing to “Never-Trump Guy” remixes on TikTok and posting pictures of Tim Walz on tampons. The authentic dialogue includes lines like “Kamala is a brat.” Critics call the book “frivolous” until they realize its impact much later.
To the White House by Virginia Woolf
In a stream-of-consciousness narrative, Trump grapples with the concept of biracial identity while Kamala dreams of her inauguration. Fundraiser letters claim Walz will “unleash hell on earth,” and press releases ask, “Is Donald Trump OK?”
The story of a tense country by Charles Dickens
Dickens takes more than 1,000 pages to describe the summer, focusing on political issues – a new perspective – rather than coconut emojis. Still, the novel amuses readers with vivid character descriptions and masterfully portrays Trump and Vance as “just plain weird.”
