# Vollmann’s four-volume novel traces US power and its moral decline

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/a-table-for-fortune-by-william-t-vollmann-review-a-hugely-ambitious-3000-page-portrait-of-americas-decline/
- Published: 2026-11-04T09:00:02+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:39:34+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/nov/04/a-table-for-fortune-by-william-t-vollmann-review-a-hugely-ambitious-3000-page-portrait-of-americas-decline
- Topics: Americas, Culture, Government, Politics, Research, Science, World

## Key points

- Vollmann’s 3,000-page novel examines America through the CIA and one family.
- Its four volumes cover five decades of US foreign policy.
- The review portrays the agency as increasingly compromised after 9/11.

## Summary

William T Vollmann’s four-volume novel *A Table for Fortune* uses the history of one CIA analyst and his family to examine American power, liberty and the country’s record abroad. The review describes it as a hugely ambitious portrait of the United States, tracing how its ideals and belief in exceptionalism have shaped policy and contributed to its decline.

Written over 15 years and spanning 3,000 pages, the novel focuses on CIA analyst DAVE, recruited in 1967, and covers roughly five decades of US foreign policy, with 9/11 at its centre. Its sardonic portrayal of agency life ranges across conflicts and intelligence practices, while DAVE’s son Matthew offers a parallel perspective on injustice and the search for America’s moral purpose. The review argues that the CIA becomes more morally compromised after 9/11, with greater reliance on assassination and torture and increased concern with pleasing the executive branch.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.