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A review by reidob
Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
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.