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reidob's review against another edition
4.0
This extraordinarily clever book took me by surprise. Without giving too much away, I can say that through about the first half of the book I thought I knew precisely what I was in for--one more snarky, cynical, dystopian view of the near future where America has crippled itself with debt, the younger generation has become less modest and more tied up with their electronic devices, with the consequent selfish and self-centered malaise that inevitably follows on the heels of such narcissism. Enter into this milieu one standard-issue middle-aged nebbish trying his damnedest to be hip and failing miserably and what do you have but fairly predictable early 21st century kvetch-lit? Yawn.
But the joy of reading this novel is that Shteyngart knows precisely what he is doing. He sets us up to expect what I did, then turns that expectation on its head not through some sleight-of-hand or preposterous plot twist but by treating the characters as if (what a thought!) they were real human beings responding to real crises in a genuine way; not always kind or skillful or right, but genuine. Yes, this is a dystopia, but even in such a world we must live our lives and love our parents (or not) and seek to be comforted.
And it is with a big heart, if perhaps a rather gloomy view, that this author takes us through this super sad true love story of two people caught up in forces they could not control that both pushed them together and forced them apart. What a pleasure it was to read such a refreshing take on sadness.
A side note that I feel cannot be left out: by coincidence I am now reading another book in a similar vein (though entirely different in tone), Albert Brooks' [b:2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America|9875493|2030 The Real Story of What Happens to America|Albert Brooks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1317067381s/9875493.jpg|14767229]. I just have to say this about what both views of the future have in common: really, folks, we need to study up on our economics if we are going to survive the next few decades. The fact that this nation is in debt and that much of that debt is owned by the Chinese is not a threat to our way of life, our national security, or the dollar. That's just not the way macroeconomics works. The fact is that China owns our debt because it is a good investment; it would be as much a disaster for them as for us if we were to default. They can barely manage their own enormous economy; the last thing they need is to own another. Yes, we have economic woes, but, at least in the current environment, our debt is the least of our worries. The mistake we make is to think of national debt in the same terms we do household debt; they are about as similar as ice cream and broccoli. Paul Krugman's [b:End This Depression Now!|13517594|End This Depression Now!|Paul Krugman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335898841s/13517594.jpg|19075921] might be a good place to start your search for economic sanity.
But the joy of reading this novel is that Shteyngart knows precisely what he is doing. He sets us up to expect what I did, then turns that expectation on its head not through some sleight-of-hand or preposterous plot twist but by treating the characters as if (what a thought!) they were real human beings responding to real crises in a genuine way; not always kind or skillful or right, but genuine. Yes, this is a dystopia, but even in such a world we must live our lives and love our parents (or not) and seek to be comforted.
And it is with a big heart, if perhaps a rather gloomy view, that this author takes us through this super sad true love story of two people caught up in forces they could not control that both pushed them together and forced them apart. What a pleasure it was to read such a refreshing take on sadness.
A side note that I feel cannot be left out: by coincidence I am now reading another book in a similar vein (though entirely different in tone), Albert Brooks' [b:2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America|9875493|2030 The Real Story of What Happens to America|Albert Brooks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1317067381s/9875493.jpg|14767229]. I just have to say this about what both views of the future have in common: really, folks, we need to study up on our economics if we are going to survive the next few decades. The fact that this nation is in debt and that much of that debt is owned by the Chinese is not a threat to our way of life, our national security, or the dollar. That's just not the way macroeconomics works. The fact is that China owns our debt because it is a good investment; it would be as much a disaster for them as for us if we were to default. They can barely manage their own enormous economy; the last thing they need is to own another. Yes, we have economic woes, but, at least in the current environment, our debt is the least of our worries. The mistake we make is to think of national debt in the same terms we do household debt; they are about as similar as ice cream and broccoli. Paul Krugman's [b:End This Depression Now!|13517594|End This Depression Now!|Paul Krugman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335898841s/13517594.jpg|19075921] might be a good place to start your search for economic sanity.
seitandaddy's review against another edition
2.0
All the elements were there: Dystopian future, clinging relationships, corporatocracy, uncomfortably-described oral sex, a loss of connection and communication. I should have liked it but it just didn't connect. I liked the style of writing alternating between personal narrative, diary, text/chatting updates but it seemed that Gary went out half-cocked and didn't push the medium. I would have preferred fuckability scores and credit ratings and personal health tips or ads popping up like gremlins to interrupt the story flow. That would have been more authentic to the feel he was going for.
The novel had good moments. I loved the scene where Lenny met Eunice's parents and the ferry into Manhattan - Moments where connection was established. The fiddling with dead devices after long dead. Struggling to stream when survival instincts were requires. The whole novel was a struggle for immortality (writing, children, science, memory) while a defunct society is crumbling around them. I should have liked this novel but didn't.
However, I persevered through and wear it as a badge of honor.
toridanielle's review against another edition
1.0
I want my money back. The lack of climax was just... Ugh. >_< I wasted too much ti e reading this book...
rekadarnb's review against another edition
2.0
What to say about this...satirical novel, what to say? If this is the way the world is headed, please shoot me now. Seriously. The thought of having my every waking thought (ha, Twitter, Facebook, etc.), inclination, sexual preference, mood, etc. broadcasted to every person in my near (and not so near) vicinity makes me shudder with repulsion. I really wanted to stop reading this book, but I felt compelled to finish. It wasn’t poorly written by any means, and despite my outrage at some of the concepts (Fuckability rating?! Jesus be a fence!), as much as I hate to admit it, this book isn’t as far-fetched as I would like it to be: *heavy, heavy sigh* yet another reason not to bring children into this world that is only headed to hell in a hand basket. All of the characters in this book are laughable; needless to say, I didn’t like any of them. Lenny was a pathetic, bumbling idiot; he didn’t really do anything, he just felt everything all the time. Like, why do you want to live forever? You aren’t doing— or really aspiring to do—anything of note with your life. Your only redeeming quality is that you love books, and then you half-assed around with that love. You also “fell in love” with a girl because you could recognize the brokenness within her: why is that, Lenny? Why is that? I guess everybody’s got their thing *side eye* Let’s talk about this girl now: She’s a whiny brat. Like, real bad. She’s also a user, and completely damaged. Even her attempts to “help” seemed self-serving. I just hated her. Hell, I pretty much hated everyone in this book, especially Eunice and Joshie. The humanity was thoroughly lacking, which is the scary direction we all seem to be headed. I did enjoy some of the vernacular; it was interesting but not enough. This book is a downer: not because it was super sad or a super sad love story, but because the world in it is all too much of a possibility. The “love” part of this whole thing is laughable, so this “aint for the lovers only” (courtesy Maxwell). Matter of fact, tell the lovers to stay the hell away from this one altogether. I recommend this book for the readers who like their dose of doomsday with a slap of over-the-top sarcasm. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone I know, and I most certainly won’t be re-reading it.
*That being said, this rating is based on my personal tastes. I think it’s a good book, just not the book for me.
*That being said, this rating is based on my personal tastes. I think it’s a good book, just not the book for me.
sluttyforserotonin's review against another edition
4.0
One of the more thought provoking books i've read in a while. While I appreciated the satire of our times and those to come and for the most part found it humorous and original. However, considering the way the book was written from two private perspectives of the main characters I was hoping for more introspection from them. I suppose that comes with the times that the book is written in - with so much distraction how could one have time for self improvement.
brandonpytel's review against another edition
4.0
Super Sad True Love Story may have snuck onto my honorable mentions of books I read in 2019. This dystopian novel is a broken love story between Lenny, an aging, pathetic worker for an immortality company and a petite Korean girl, Eunice, whom David met at a party overseas.
The novel grasps at a society of deteriorating social and economic standards. Socially, everyone is more disconnected than ever, quantifying everyone by sexual attractiveness, while trying to gain immortality at the same time. Economically, America of the future is at the whims of foreign investors like China. When China pulls out, the U.S. economy crashes, and chaos ensues.
Amid all this is a really powerful love story, at least unrequited of that of Lenny and Eunice, trying to make it through the tumultuous times of world instability and how hard it is to maintain love in an increasingly disconnected world.
Lenny tries is a product of another generation, whereas Eunice is a daughter of the new times, as Joshie, Lenny’s boss, tells Eunice amid a courtship: “Lenny is from a different world, a previous world that was obsessed with death and not life, and was consumed with fear and not positivism.”
Of course, that’s all BS, as the new world Joshie speaks of is extremely problematic in its own right. I’ll end with this: As both Eunice and Lenny struggle to cope with each other and amid this chaos of a broken U.S., they both come to the same conclusion: that love, specifically that from family, is part of all of our identities, and if recognized and appreciated, that familial love will transcend all else, no matter how bleak it is out there. Though to get to that realization requires a lot of loss and learning, the core of the super sad part of this book.
The novel grasps at a society of deteriorating social and economic standards. Socially, everyone is more disconnected than ever, quantifying everyone by sexual attractiveness, while trying to gain immortality at the same time. Economically, America of the future is at the whims of foreign investors like China. When China pulls out, the U.S. economy crashes, and chaos ensues.
Amid all this is a really powerful love story, at least unrequited of that of Lenny and Eunice, trying to make it through the tumultuous times of world instability and how hard it is to maintain love in an increasingly disconnected world.
Lenny tries is a product of another generation, whereas Eunice is a daughter of the new times, as Joshie, Lenny’s boss, tells Eunice amid a courtship: “Lenny is from a different world, a previous world that was obsessed with death and not life, and was consumed with fear and not positivism.”
Of course, that’s all BS, as the new world Joshie speaks of is extremely problematic in its own right. I’ll end with this: As both Eunice and Lenny struggle to cope with each other and amid this chaos of a broken U.S., they both come to the same conclusion: that love, specifically that from family, is part of all of our identities, and if recognized and appreciated, that familial love will transcend all else, no matter how bleak it is out there. Though to get to that realization requires a lot of loss and learning, the core of the super sad part of this book.
tatsgill's review
4.0
Chilling, haunting, but gorgeously written. A very good read in the vein of sci fi classics; American debt and consumer culture at its most unpleasant result.
janejanejane3534's review against another edition
3.0
This book was truly frightening. I would give it 5 stars for how well it is written, but it is just so bleak and scary that I had to give it only 3 stars.
pcro99's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5