American Pop is a 2019 novel by author Snowden Wright. It follows Houghton Forster, a Mississppi soda-pop magnate, and his dysfunctional family. From the book's official description: "Moving from Mississippi to Paris to New York and back again, a saga of family, ambition, passion, and tragedy that brings to life one unforgettable Southern dynasty—the Forsters, founders of the world’s first major soft-drink company—against the backdrop of more than a century of American cultural history."
Tropes in the book include:
- The Ace: Montgomery; a charming, dashing war hero and (for a time) the most put-together of Houghton's children.
- Broken Ace: The death of his true love in the war is something he never recovers from.
- Big Brother Bully: Lance delights in trolling Harold. It gets to the point where he gets one of his maids to sexually assault him for a laugh.
- Deep South: The Forsters are based in Mississippi, and most of the story takes place there.
- Driven to Suicide: Lance.
- Dumb Is Good: Harold, who has an undiagnosed mental illness, is the kindest and most innocent of the family. His only scandal isn't even his fault.
- Pet the Dog: In Lance's last moment with Harold he admits that he loves him.
- Rags to Riches: Houghton goes from being a poor son of immigrants to amassing a Rockerfeller level of wealth and prestige with Panola Cola.
- The Reveal: The secret ingredient to Panola Cola is honeysuckle.
- Riches to Rags: The entire family name by the end; its sole survivor after Harold's passing is his recently-discoveted grandson who had to work his way out of poverty to lower-middle class.
- Straight Gay: Montgomery Forster is a handsome, masculine (though not overly-so, and ladies find him quite charming. However, his true love was a fellow soldier in the Great War.
