A review by qualitypretzels
Memoirs of a Muse by Lara Vapnyar

5.0

I liked this better than her award winning short stories. There was this really familiar Russian style and feel to the whole book. Admittedly I liked the beginning most, and the Chekhovian style was harder to see in the agonizing romance, but I found the plot meaningful. Yeah, she's a somewhat pathetic character, and that's what her society/family set her up to achieve. It's a simple book about a culture cast in sharp relief over hypocritical American ideals and dreams, which is really fascinating to me. Drawing out that culture clash as she does, I think this is a really worthwhile read.