Super Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart

Publication Date: July 27






I didn't find this book to be a "super sad true love story" ... nor a "super sad, true, love story". Mostly, I found the love missing and rather than sad, I found it kind of depressing.

So why the 5 stars?

Let me break it down:

Originality/creativity - 5
Humor - 2
Characters - 2.5? maybe 3
social commentary/satire - 5
eerie plausibility - 5

Originality/creativity

It's the near future. Perhaps it's now. It's impossible to tell. We are addicted to social networking, online shopping and our iPhones. Our worth as humans is measured by our credit scores and LDL cholesterol. There IS no privacy. Dying is optional. We're all members of the Bipartisan Party. Credit is King, and a highly valued profession. Media is an aspiration and a high compliment. The dollar is wallpaper, unless it's Yuan-pegged.

Shteyngart really did a fantastic job with his "vision" of our near future.

Humor

There's a lot of talk about how funny this book is. I didn't find it so at all. The truth is very often funny, but in this case, the truth was just too scary for me. That didn't detract (for me) in any way from the book, but I wouldn't go in expecting a laugh riot.

Characters

The "love" in this story was ostensibly between Eunice, a beautiful young girl, of Korean decent and Lenny, an "old man" (39 ... old in the context of the book), of Russian descent, not attractive, kind of a dweeb. The story is told from their alternating points of view.

Here's where I really struggled, because I'm not convinced it was possible to love the characters. Or perhaps even to like them. We've all seen it ... A group of people sitting at a table, having dinner or a coffee, and nobody is interacting. They're on their iPhones, Blackberries. Texting, googling, checking the stock market or their auction. Human interaction is becoming superfluous. Need a friend? Login to Facebook. Need some shoes? shoes.com. Imagine what we'll be like in ten to twenty years. Self-absorbed, self-sufficient, uninteresting, SHALLOW. Only the most innate biological imperative will drive us to other people.

I didn't "feel" the love in this potential "love" story, because I'm not convinced the characters were capable of love, either of themselves or others. Maybe they weren't fully developed, but I don't think that was it. I think they were as fully developed as they could be given the times they grew up in.

Social Commentary/Satire

It's so well-done, and so plausible, it almost doesn't even feel like satire. Quite simply: Brilliant.

Eerily Plausible

David Mitchell called this book "social prophecy" in his blurb. I hope he's wrong, but it sure does seem like we are headed down this path. Shteyngart had to have started writing this book at least two years ago. Yet, so much of what is in this book is happening right now. The Facebook privacy controversy is a prime example.

In addition to the social aspects of this book, there's also the political. I don't want to give any more detail than I already have, but this passage really struck me:

"....there were all these like little shacks for the homeless people in Central Park. It was really sad. These people are getting kicked out of their homes along the highway because the Chinese central banker is coming and Lenny says the Bipartisans don't want us to look poor in front of our Asian creditors."

This is an eye-opening novel. A cautionary tale! We are selling America to the highest bidder so we can wear our Juicy dresses and Prada sunglasses, while dining on truffled lobster Mac 'n Cheese in our kitchens with subway tile blacksplash.

Take Heed!

Incidentally, this would make and OUTSTANDING (though not traditional) book club read. So many great topics for undoubtedly heated discussion.

Rated 5/5 stars

Neither Here Nor There - Bill Bryson

Neither interesting, nor funny. Neither entertaining, nor educational. Neither provacative nor engaging.

Awful.

Not funny.

Maybe I've travelled too much to appreciate this book, but it was awful, bordering on offensive. I would have thought that Bryson would be an enthusiastic and passionate traveler, but he wasn't. At least not in this book. In this book he was bitter, whiney and did nothing but complain.

Let me sum up the book for you:

EVERYTHING IS EXPENSIVE
the food is bad
People are different than him, therefore, awful
something poop related

He bashed the culture of every country visited in some way. When he was in Switzerland and bored he made up some riddles. Here's one: "What do you call a gathering of boring people in Switzerland?" ... "Zurich."

Every once in a while something seemingly positive would happen, and I would think ... maybe ... maybe he's going to have ONE good experience on this trip. But nope. Always a "but". Murphy's Law always right around Bill Bryson's corner.

I'm shocked that this book was published. I've written better travel commentary on the back of an American Airlines cocktail napkin.

Rated 1 of 5 stars

The Ark - Boyd Morrison

I love Biblical fiction; books like David Maine's The Preservationist or The Red Tent. While this book is not biblical fiction, it has that element that I love. Taking a story from the bible, kind of taking it a part and putting it back together again. All the elements are still there, but it allows the reader to think of it in a way they may not have thought of before. I find that fun! Especially with a tale as tired as Noah's Ark.

This is a modern day thriller, with all the cool technology, twists and turns, gun fights and explosions, loony tunes bad guys, and near death experiences that go along with that genre. But it also deals with the story of Noah's Ark in a really interesting way.

As with most thrillers, it's a very fast-paced, fun and enjoyable read.

This is not Christian fiction, I don't know why anyone would think that (Was Indiana Jones a Christian Movie?). I thought the author was quite respectful in dealing with the slippery slope of presenting an alternate point of view of the Bible's Noah.

Entertaining!

Rated 4 of 5 stars

Books I Read in 2010

1. I Am the Messenger - (1/2) - Markus Zusak 368p
2. The Stand: Expanded Edition: For the First Time Complete and Uncut (Signet) - (1/24) - Stephen King 1141p
3. Bite Me: A Love Story - (1/30) - Christopher Moore 320p
4. The Giver - (1/31) - Lois Lowry 208p
5. The Shipping News - (2/13) - Annie Proulx 352p
6. Music for Torching - (2/20) - A.M. Homes 368p
7. From Dead to Worse - (2/27) - Charlaine Harris 302p
8. The End Of Alice - (2/28) - A.M. Homes 272p
9. The Girl Who Chased the Moon - (3/7) - Sarah Addison Allen 288p
10. Illustrado - (3/27) - Miguel Syjuco 320p
11. The Idiot - (4/4) - Fyodor Dostoyevsky 656p
12. The Things They Carried - (4/10) - Tim O'Brien 256p
13. The Spellman's Strike Again - (4/11) - Lisa Lutz 400p
14. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - (4/23) - Stieg Larsson 576p
15. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Random House Reader's Circle) - (4/24) - MaryAnn Shaffer 290p
16. Tell All - (4/25) - Chuck Palahniuk 192p
17. Light Boxes - (5/1) - Shane Jones 160p
18. The Nobodies Album - (5/4) - Carolyn Parkhurst 320p
19. A Gate at the Stairs - (5/7) - Lorrie Moore 336p
20. Backseat Saints - (5/8) - Joshilyn Jackson 352p
21. Imperial Bedrooms - (5/9) - Bret Easton Ellis 192p
22. Chasing Darkness: An Elvis Cole Novel (Elvis Cole Novels) - (5/16) - Robert Crais 408p
23. Cry to Heaven - (5/30) - Anne Rice 576p
24. The Ark - (6/5) - Boyd Morrison 420p
25. Super Sad True Love Story - (6/6) - Gary Shteyngart - 352p
26. Motherless Brooklyn - (6/26) - Jonathan Lethem 311p
27. My Fair Lazy - (6/27) - Jen Lancaster 384p
28. Jack - (7/3) - A.M. Homes 240p
29. Gathering Blue - (7/4) - Lois Lowry 240p
30. Messenger - (7/5) - Lois Lowry 176p
31. The Safety of Objects - (7/19) - A.M. Homes 176p
32. Adam & Eve: A Novel - (8/3) - Sena Jeter Naslund 352p
33. Dark Life - (8/15) - Kat Fails 304p
34. Switching Time: A Doctor's Harrowing Story of Treating a Woman with 17 Personalities - (8/24) - Richard Baer 368p
35. Mockingjay - (8/28) - Suzanne Collins 400p
36. C - (9/5) - Tom McCarthy 320p
37. Gone with the Wind - (9/26) - Margaret Mitchell 860p
38. Little Bee - (9/30) - Chris Cleave 304p
39. Room - (10/9) - Emma Donoghue 336p
40. The Discovery of Socket Greeny - (10/16) - Tony Bertauski 282p
41. Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, Book 3) - (10/31) - Jim Butcher 378p
42. The Forgotten Garden: A Novel - (11/7) - Kate Morton 560p
43. Number the Stars - (11/12) - Lois Lowry 136p
44. The Diviner's Tale - (12/4) - Bradford Morrow 320p
45. Lolita - (12/10) - Vladimir Nabokov 336p
46. The End of Alice - (12/12)- A.M. Homes 272p(re-read)
47. Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name: A Novel (P.S.) - (12/13) - Vendela Vida 256p
48. Columbine - (12/19) - Dave Cullen 464p
49. Swamplandia! - (12/29) - Karen Russell 336p
50. In the Lake of the Woods - (12/31) - Tim O'Brien 321p

Audio

1. Peter and Max - Bill Willingham 3/5 stars
2. The Goose Girl - Shannon Hale 5/5 stars
3.Horns - Joe Hill 4/5 stars
4. The Help - Kathryn Stockett 5/5 stars
5. Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe - Bill Bryson 1/5 stars
6. When You Are Engulfed in Flames - David Sedaris 3/5 stars
7. Enna Burning (Books of Bayern) - Shannon Hale 2.5/5 stars
8. Radio Free Albemuth - Philip K. Dick 4/5 stars
9. The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ - Philip Pullman 1/5 stars
10. Hunger Games - Audio - Suzanne Collins 4.5/5 stars
11. Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) - Audio - Suzanne Collins 5/5 stars
12. Paper Towns - John Green 5/5 stars
13. The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery 3/5 stars
14. Beatrice and Virgil - Yann Martel 2/5 stars
15. The Wild Things - Dave Eggers 3/5 stars
16. Life of Pi - Yawn Martel 1/5 stars (click link for my review)
17. The Good Earth (Blackstone Audio Classic Collection) - Pearl S. Buck 5/5 stars
18. Blackout - Connie Willis 4/5 stars
19. I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas - Lewis Black 2/5 stars
20. The Scorch Trials - James Dashner 2/5 stars
21. Alice I Have Been: A Novel - Melanie Benjamin - 5/5 stars

My top 10 reads of 2009

In no particular order

I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith
The Yiddish Policemans Union - Michael Chabon
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
The Housekeeper and the Professor - Yoko Ogawa
American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis
East of Eden - John Steinbeck
Five Quarters of the Orange - Joanne Harris
Cathedral of the Sea - Ildefonso Falcones
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater - Kurt Vonnegut

Books I Read in 2009

73. Go with Me: A Novel (P.S.) - (12/31) - Castle Freeman Jr. 192p
72. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater - (12/30) - Kurt Vonnegut 190p 2009 FAVORITE
71. Snuff - (12/28) - Chuck Palahniuk 208p
70. Altar of Eden - (12/27) - James Rollins 416p
69. Shades of Grey: A Novel - (12/23) - Jasper Fforde 400p
68. Chronic City - (12/12) - Jonathan Lethem 480p
67. The Woods - (12/4) - Harlen Coben 418p
66. Pirate Latitudes - (11/20) - Michael Crichton 320p
65. New World Monkeys - (10/09) - Nancy Mauro 304p
64. The Girl With No Shadow - (9/23) - Joanne Harris 480p
63. I Capture the Castle - (9/7) - Dodie Smith 352p 2009 FAVORITE
62. The Maze Runner - 9/4 - James Dashner 384p
61. Catching Fire - (8/30) - Suzanne Collins 400p
60. The Year of the Flood: A Novel - (8/29) - Margaret Atwood 448p
59. Love Walked In - (7/23) - Marisa de los Santos 320p
58. Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West - (7/10) - Cormac McCarthy 352p
57. Tortilla Flat - (7/4) - John Steinbeck 208p
56. Summer of Love - (6/30) - Lisa Mason 384p
55. John the Revelator - (6/26) Peter Murphy 277p
54. L.A. Candy - (6/21) - Lauren Conrad 336p
53. American Adulterer (6/12) - Jed Mercurio 352p
52. Orlando: A Biography - (6/11) - Virginia Woolf 352p
51. All Together Dead - (6/5) - Charlaine Harris 352p
50. Johannes Cabal the Necromancer - (5/30) - Jonathan Howard 304p
49. Glover's Mistake - (5/29) - Nick Laird 256p
48. The Watchman: A Joe Pike Novel - (5/27) - Robert Crais 416p
47. The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel (P.S.) - (5/25) - Michael Chabon 432p 2009 FAVORITE
46. The Angel's Game - (5/20) - Carlos Ruiz Zafon 470p
45. Fool Moon - (5/17) - Jim Butcher 352p
44. All That I Have: A Novel - (5/15) - Castle Freeman, Jr. 176p
43. The Shadow of the Wind - (5/10) - Carlos Ruiz Zafon 487p
42. Dexter by Design: A Novel - (5/6) - Jeff Lindsay 304p
41. Thirteen Reasons Why - (5/1) - Jay Asher 320p
40. A Lion Among Men: Volume Three in the Wicked Years - 4/27 - Gregory Maguire 336p
39. His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, Book 1) - (4/26) - Naomi Novik 384p
38. Definitely Dead - (4/25) - Charlaine Harris 352p
37. The Book Thief - (4/22) - Marcus Zusak 576p 2009 FAVORITE
36. B Is for Beer - (4/21) - Tom Robbins 128p
35. The Girl Who Played with Fire - (4/12) - Stieg Larsson 569p
34. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish - (4/10) - Douglas Adams 224p
33. We - (4/5) - Yevgeny Zamyatin 232p
32. Brave New World - (4/4) - Aldous Huxley 288p
31. Never Let Me Go - (4/2) - Kuzuo Ishiguro 304p 2009 FAVORITE
30. Cathedral of the Sea: A Novel - 3/30 - Ildefonso Falcones 624p 2009 FAVORITE
29. Shogun - 3/28 - James Clavell 1,152 p
28. Five Quarters of the Orange: A Novel (P.S.) - (3/15) - Joanne Harris 336p 2009 FAVORITE
27. After Silence - (3/7) - Jonathan Carroll 225p
26. The Metamorphosis - (3/6) - Franz Kafka 76p
25. The Uncommon Reader: A Novella - (3/5) - Alan Bennett 128p
24. The Housekeeper and the Professor: A Novel - (3/2) - Yoko Ogawa 192p 2009 FAVORITE
23. In the Company of the Courtesan - (3/1) - Sarah Dunant 385p
22. The Hunger Games - (2/27) - Suzanne Collins 384p
21. The Post-Birthday World: A Novel (P.S.) - (2/21) - Lionel Shriver 544p
20. Blindness - (2/16) - Jose Saramago 352p
19. Storm Front - (2/14) - Jim Butcher 336p
18. Fool: A Novel - (2/14) - Christopher Moore 336p
17. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - (2/7) - Junot Diaz 352p
16. Dead as a Doornail - (2/7) - Charlaine Harris 295p
15. Good Grief: A Novel - (2/4) - Lolly Winston 352p
14. Fortune's Rocks: A Novel - (2/1) - Anita Shreve 453p
13. East of Eden - (1/31) - John Steinbeck 602p 2009 FAVORITE
12. Less Than Zero - (1/24) - Bret Easton Ellis 208p
11. The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet: A Novel - (1/23) - Colleen McCullough 352p
10. American Psycho - (1/18) - Bret Easton Ellis 416p 2009 FAVORITE
9. Pride and Prejudice - (1/10) - Jane Austen 314p
8. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation - (1/13) - Lynn Truss 240p
7. Dead to the World - (1/11) - Charlaine Harris 292p
6. Slaughterhouse-Five - (1/10) - Kurt Vonnegut 224p
5. Sepulchre - (1/9) - Kate Mosse 592p
4. The Magician's Nephew (Narnia) - (1/6) - C.S. Lewis 208p
3. The Ghost in Love: A Novel - (1/4) - Jonathan Carroll 320p
2. All Encompassing Trip - (1/2) - Nicole Del Sesto 308p
1. A Clockwork Orange - (1/1) - Anthony Burgess 192p

My top 10 reads of 2008

(In no particular order)

Letters Home Sylvia Plath

Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey - Chuck Palahnuik

The Origin - Irving Stone

Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides

Sexing the Cherry - Jeanette Winterson

Windfalls - Jean Hegland

House of Leaves - Mark Danielewski

The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein

My Life So Far - Jane Fonda

The Magus - John Fowles