Absurdistan

I know plenty of upright citizens who would say this is the stupidest book they ever tried to read. However, if you have a dark, cynical, political sense of humor (which those same people would call twisted or sick), then you will probably think this book is as hilarious as I did.

Misha Vainburg is just trying to find a way back into America and the arms of his Bronx sweetheart, Rouenna. When the grossly rich, grossly obese (and all around gross) expat Jew travels to Absurdvani to buy a Belgian passport (of dubioius legality), he finds himself caught in a bloody revolution (of dubious political and social significance).

It’s easy to get distracted by the satiric furbelows, but essentially this is the story of a man who comes to realize how impossible it is to be good – even to define “good” - in a corrupt world.

The author starts by challenging the reader to define what makes a “good” man. Misha, the massively overweight son of a Russian oligarch, has a whole set of repulsive personal habits: he’s obsessed with food, he treats his servant Timofy atrociously, he’s entitled, naive, and lazy. But he’s also been scarred by a botched circumcision, possible sexual abuse, and a culture that has inculcated warped values and dysfunctional behaviours. You want to hate him but … it’s complicated. Just like the world he is endeavoring to show more negotiate.

The book has an episodic feel to it. The first half, which focuses on Misha’s dysfunctional family, his career at an absurd liberal American university, and his relationship with his New York ghetto sweetheart, mostly focuses on lampooning American liberalism, multiculturalism, gold-digging women, Russian culture, moral relativism, and cultural appropriation. Some of the humor is obvious, but couldn’t help feeling like this section was a bit heavy on “inside jokes” – things that Russians (like the novel’s author, Gary Shteyngart, an ethnic Russian Jew) would doubtless find hilarious, but that I (an American) lacked the background knowledge to appreciate.

Things turn dark quickly in the second half, however, when Misha finds himself in the country of Absurdistan. He’s just passing through, but quickly becomes entangled in a civil war engineered by the US military-industrial complex (Halliburton is called out by name) in cahoots with greedy, morally-bankrupt Absurdi politicals. Bad news for the ethnic Svani and Sevo peasants that end up as fodder for rockets being launched from the roof of the Hyatt, but extremely profitable for the folks instigating the conflict. (I was reminded of a half-remembered quote from The Princess Bride: “I’ve hired you to help me start a war. It’s a prestigious line of work, with a long and glorious tradition.”) This section leans heavily into cynicism: you’ll definitely laugh, but you’ll hate yourself for doing so.

Meanwhile, Misha’s trying to abide by a moral compass that may or may not point true north. He understands that the women are exploiting him, but he treats them honorably. He understands that his father was a crook, but he remains loyal out of a sense of familial responsibility. When he eventually realizes he’s being manipulated by Absurdi politicos who are exploiting his American liberalism, he doesn’t blame them as much as he blames himself for his naivity. A wiser man, he attempts to leave the ethnic hatred and profiteering behind, but the final joke is on him, for the date of his escape to American? 10 Sep 2001.

Many in my book group hated this book. They found Misha loathsome and Shteyngart’s satire way too dark. I get where they’re coming from: the whole point of this form of satire is to go to dark places and then exaggerate them to the point where they become horrifying, a la Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” or Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse Five.” This was at times excruciating. But it was also inventive, thought-provoking, and surprisingly sincere. A worthy read, if not an easy or entirely pleasant one. show less

Pode parecer estranho eu dar 4 estrelas para um romance comédia com personagens bizarros e muitas vezes incompetentes e despreparados para viver num mundo cínico e caótico, quando já dei 3 estrelas para romances clássicos de autores consagrados. Mas procuro analisar os livros comparando-os com outros do mesmo gênero, e voltados para públicos similares. Essa comédia cínica e caótica, será muitas vezes mais real e plausível que muitos romances clássicos que certamente tem suas qualidades em outro lugar. Podemos dizer que é um romance absurdista segundo a filosofia de Camus. Aqui acompanhamos a estória de um filho de um mafioso russo que viveu a margem da vida do pai, e se beneficiando do que a riqueza poderia proporcionar show more para ele. Tudo ia bem até que o pai é acusado de matar alguém nos EUA e faz o filho que a essa altura era um jovem bon vivant em Nova Iorque seja deportado de volta para a Rússia. O pai então morre num atentado a bomba, e deixa o filho rico mas sem maturidade e preparo para cuidar da própria vida. Dependente psicologicamente do seu terapeuta americano e de sua namorada o protagonista se vê no meio de uma revolução no Absurdistão quando tentava comprar um passaporte falso de cidadão Belga para voltar para Nova Iorque. Preso no país e sem seu secretário e faz tudo, ele tem que sobreviver e arranjar um jeito de voltar para casa.
Com muitas frases espirituosas e personagens inusitados o romance nos prende até o final, com muitas reviravoltas. A história toda é levada com humor, mas há um pano de fundo melancólico de um mundo cínico sem saída que interesses pessoais estão acima de ideologias, países, ou grupos.
Até o final ficamos pensando até que ponto o autor vai conseguir conduzir essa história que parece saiu do controle do próprio autor. show less

This book is fantastic. Shteyngart writes great dialogue--"To the khui with him!"--and Misha Vainberg is a great character. His fancy loafers, his replica of his therapist's office, his acceptance of the horrid violence all around him. He's like a criminally neurotic Forrest Gump, though much more interesting. The whole thing has a wonderful sort of deadpan Russia Meets West air about it. I was really interested in reading about how bizarre Russia has become since the Communist collapse, and though I know it's a hilarious exaggeration, there's something beguiling about extracts like this:

"Timofey trudged in, a weak, servile smile hoisted onto his grim physiognomy. 'I brought you a fresh bottle of Ativan from the American Clinic, show more batyushka,' he said, brandishing a large sack of medications. 'You know, Priborkhin's master was also in bed with depression, but then he took a little Zoloftushka and some Prozakchik, and off he went to run with the bulls in spain!"'

There is so much that is funny about those two lines that I believe Gary Shteyngart should write a sequel to this book. The addition of "Jerry Shteynfarb", predatory writing teacher at NY's Hunter College, seemed unnecessary to me...kind of Philip Rothy, and god knows he wore out the whole "I star in my own books" thing some time ago. show less

I actually freaked a lady out while on the train while reading this book. My stifled and convulsive laughter was apparently indecipherable from some sort of dangerous psychological malady. Absurdistan is, simply put, a 21st century Confederacy of Dunces set in a former Soviet satellite state; complete with a latter-day Ignatius P. Reilly in a Puma track suit. Very funny stuff. Personally, I could have used more atmospheric touches – the kind of whole world immersion that you normally find in sweeping emotional epics. The story moves along at a nimble clip, but it could have been about 100 pages longer. Plot and character are all well and good, but the richest literary experiences are often replete with time consuming diversions and show more flights of fancy. The descriptions of our protagonist eating and fornicating are positively hysterical. show less

The first third of this was relentlessly hilarious genius. I thought this was going to make it to best of the best status. Misha, our hero(?) is a walking, talking symbol of avarice, gluttony, selfishness, and preternatural laziness. God bless America. Our 400-pound culturally appropriative rich boy has come from Russia for his US liberal arts education and following NYC trust fund kid life. He becomes Snackdaddy, a citizen of nowhere, literally and metaphorically, due to factors beyond his control.

For a while, it was hilarious and tragic, sort of Augie March by way of St. Petersburg and Oberlin. Shteyngart is funny as hell, can paint a scene as well as any writer I have ever read, and there is an appealing controlled mania to it all. show more When the action heads out of the US to Russia, and then to Absudsvani, the titular Absurdistan, things started to get old. I think if I read an excerpt from those sections it would shine as brightly as anything in the first part, but the problem is that Sheteyngart hits the same themes and jokes over and over, the vulgarity, the rolls of fat and deformed penis, the truly disgusting sex, the slovenliness, the insensitivity, at that manic pace, and it starts to grate. The Absurdistan-set portion is way too long. I loved where he was going with it, and I thought the end was brilliant, but for a big chunk of the third quarter of the book I started to dread returning to a book I had loved completely.

At its best, this is world-class literature. I want this to be a 5-star, but for me it was a 10-star and for a long period a 3-star. I am going with 4. Flaws and all, this is the work of a great writer. show less

This book cracked me up at least once a paragraph.
It's broad farce brimming with intelligence.

Now I am going to have to read all the other Shteyngart books.
(I could have a worse burden, trust me.)