I first heard about Shteyngart through a Super Sad True Love Story interview, and when that novel was currently unavailable, I took a look at Shteyngart's former novel, Absurdistan.
The Facts
Length: 333 pages.
Publisher: Random House.
This is Shteyngart's second novel.
Quick Summary
Exiled from his beloved United States of America, Russian-born Misha Vainberg tries anything to get back in. So he goes to oil-rich Absurdistan, home to the rival ethnicities of "Sevo" and "Svani", in an attempt to buy a fake Belgian passport. Ever unfortunate, however, Misha finds himself wrapped up in a conspiracy of ethnic conflict and international apathy.
The story is told in first-person.
The Good
Protagonist Misha Vainberg, with all his oddball stupidity and obsessive eating habits, is somehow quite charming. He's oblivious to the schemers around him, but he's rich enough not to care. He laughs, he eats, he cries, he eats; he falls in love, girl after girl after girl - but really, based on his weight, you wouldn't want to imagine him having sex.
Secondly, Shteyngart scores points on his eerily apathetic international community. When the state of Absurdistan breaks down completely, everyone finds time to look the other way. Blood pours hot onto the streets in a sickly sort of pseudo-reality; I couldn't help but think of videos that came out of the Rwandan genocide.
The Bad
It ended all too soon and in so much chaos (Absurdistan is a good Cross-Currents). I was never sure the extent of the damage, what was going to happen to Absurdistan, or if Misha finally makes it across the border (we can, however, guess at the outcome of his US-gamble, due to a nice timeline which ends on a particular date). The fighting erupts - Misha is imprisoned in his hotel rooms - and then the fighting seems to be over. Maybe "bad" is a little bit too strong, but I would've had a little bit of a longer middle.
Final Thoughts
I'm starting to see Shteyngart's style with this one - a weird sort of blend of humour and horror and human weakness. Absurdistan succeeds in this respect, but I'd be unwilling to place it far above (or below) Super Sad True Love Story. Overall, a pretty good read.
Arbitrary Score: 4.2 out of 5.
Next book: The Magicians, by Lev Grossman (2009)
