The Madman Theory

If Richard Nixon had been elected president in 1960 instead of John F. Kennedy, how would Nixon have handled the Cuban missile crisis? Simon provides some provocative if predictable answers in his luridly fascinating first novel. After a chapter set shortly after the 1960 election, the action jumps to October 20, 1962, the day Nixon presents to his cabinet the evidence that the Soviets are installing missiles in Cuba. Over the week that follows, Simon credibly portrays Nixon as he maneuvers himself, the country, and the world to the brink of the nuclear nightmare that Kennedy avoided. The author is equally good at letting Pat Nixon tell the story of her disastrous marriage as well as showing Nikita Khrushchev as a man who wants peace at almost any cost, to the point of abandoning his Cuban allies to achieve it. The conclusion may not satisfy everyone, but alternative history fans will be rewarded. (Sept.)