This post is going to be about two books I just read, the first being this late because I didn't want to write about the book and the second being this soon because I read the book so quickly! The first is Super Sad True Love Story (SSTLS for sanity's purposes) by Gary Shteyngart.
SSTLS was one of the most disappointing books I've read all summer. It's supposed to take place in the not so distant future (probably about 30-50 years) and the world that Shteyngart created is bizarre, attempting to be satirical of the way our world could head but it's so unbelievable that it just comes out ridiculous. His commentary on the world is appropriate, highlighting the way that sex and technology have taken over our lives. His idea of everyone having an "apparat" (which has umlauts on the a's but I don't know how to do that in here) is not far-fetched. We all have our cell phones, some of us with smart phones, and I can say that everyone I know in my generation is attached to their phone. The idea that we will all be dependent on our devices and interact more through our devices than through personal interaction is an issue that will be more and more apparent in the next few decades.
The other aspect of Shteyngart's commentary on our culture concerns the way that sex pervades our everyday lives. In SSTLS, teens watch porn together on a regular basis, girls wear "onionskin" jeans (which are see-through pants), and the names of the stores that sell clothes are named things that I'd rather not repeat. The idea that sex would be out in the open so intensely is completely un-fathomable for me. I realize that sex is already prevalent in our culture but that kind of intensity and publicity would receive so much backlash from conservative groups, that I would be shocked to see our world become so openly sexual. I realize that our world is so much more sexual than 100 years ago but there seems to be a breaking point.
Besides Shteyngart's preposterous world that he creates (and I didn't even get into the politics of his world), the story between the two main characters is empty with little to no redemption. The story follows dumpy, older Lenny and his falling in love with young, hip Eunice. They meet in Rome and she has no choice but to stay with him when she returns to the states. Their story seems as if it will end triumphantly with Eunice letting herself love Lenny against her "better judgement." However (spoiler alert), she leaves him for his much older, but younger through a process of de-aging, boss who can save her family. She ends up believing that family is the most important, which, to the reader, seems like a terrible idea. Shteyngart makes her family look like a mess of abuse and negligence. Her choice in the end left a bad taste in my mouth.
As for Room, the second book of this post, I would recommend this story to so many people. I loved the story, I loved the writing style, I loved the characters. I don't want to say too much about the story, since the way it unfolds is so beautifully slow. Not in a boring way, but in a bit by bit kind of way. The story is told from the point of view of a five year old and the innocence and perspective sheds so much light on the way the world works and the way people interact with each other. I just say that the book was fantastic and I would definitely recommend it. It was a fast, easy read and totally worth every minute.
