As a dissection of the American dream, Imbolo Mbue's first novel is savage and compassionate in all the right places...Just as you think the author has served up a rather predictable set of characters (callous rich guy, pill-popping wife, virtuous immigrants), she slyly complicates them. In one scene, after Neni learns that her family's existence in America has been threatened, her ruthless gambit to protect them is awe-inspiring.