A novel about the lost American dream and modern despair, about friendship and loyalty, about love that grows from the rubble of a destroyed life. Philipp Mayer sets his story against the backdrop of the achingly beautiful landscapes of Pennsylvania, in which the rusting remnants of its former industrial power are inscribed. Isaac, who was known as a child prodigy at school, is stuck in his hometown because of his disabled father. His friend Pou, an athlete with a great future in sports, is also in no hurry to leave. They seem to be corroded by rust, which has consumed the former steel mills, the city itself, and the surrounding farms. Wild and beautiful nature is step by step conquering the world he has created from man. The friends are still confident that they will escape from the world of rusting factories and abandoned houses - to where real life happens. But a fateful incident explodes the depressive, sleepy elegy in which the heroes reside, and Isaac and Pou must undergo an incredible test of fortitude, loyalty and nobility. “American Rust” is an “epoch-making” saga about modern America. Philipp Mayer's novel evokes the novels of Faulkner and Steinbeck. This is a story about uncertainty in oneself and in the country, about a grim reality that can only be overcome on a very personal level.