Absurdistan

Which I do. This is a coarsely satirical novel of very modern times. Coarse, Contemporary, and well written in comparable measures, this book caused me a great deal of amazement. The storytelling is witty, and deeply imaginative, while the protagonist, An americanized rich russian fatty, is at once wholly sypmathetic, fatuous, and wise. His point of view is not ours, and in seeing through his eyes, truth is told about the world that otherwise would remain inveigled. Before I get too caught up in description, I should mention that this book is, primarily, funny. Much of the craft in the writing is for humor and wit. So much so, that the breakdown is often into 'something funny, or some bit of wit in each paragraph' as opposed to 'on every page'. While other reviewers make the comparison to Ignatius Riley in 'Confederacy of Dunces' our main man is much more reminiscent in my mind of John Self in Martin Amis's dashing 1984 novel 'MONEY'. Both Steyngart's and Amis's first person storytellers strike on Rabelaisian themes of excess and size and appetite, and both are clueless berks or chelovecks, fascinated with money, media, big business, and internationalism. Both make clear the surface deep 'greatness of America'. Both are living (to quote Martin Amis) "Low life in High Style". If John Self is ultimately a Dupe of his own vision to tell his life story on the big screen, Misha Vainberg is similarly self-deluded in his quest to return to a very idealized New York, and to his equally idealized Latino-esque girlfriend. Both characters have good things to say about New York, Fatness & general gluttony,Women's sexuality (and their exploitation), relationships, International Travel, and the rigors of achieving one's aims. Steyngart also takes a rare page out of Amis's book, and writes himself into a self-parodying small cameo role in his own story. Another great comparison that I feel should be made with Absurdistan is to Hunter S. Thompson, for the point of view writing, where the reader is taken on a wild ride, seen through the eyes of the protagonist. Many things that we'd all find rather alarming, if not shocking, don't seem much to phase Misha (witness his aplomb in calmly taking an energetic beating from two Russian toughs, who are guards for hire at the U.S. Embassy in Moskwe. All end up lying exhausted on the floor, drinking together, and overcome by Russian brotherhood). All in all I found this book ingenious, and meticulously put together. Even as our hero/anti-hero is a rather selective, and therefore unreliable narrator, we gain surprising insight into his psychology, giant physiognomy, family life and general character, at the same time getting such a skewed view of the world-at-large, that it somehow rings crystal-true. While coarse, the book overall is uplifting, endearing, and above all funny.

Once I finished John Kennedy Toole's classic "Confederacy of Dunces," I thought I would never meet another strangely endearing sausage-loving anti-hero like Ignatius Reilly. I was wrong. Gary Shteyngart, in his laughter-inducing second novel, "Aburdistan" introduces us to "an incorrigible fatso...son of the 1,238th-richest man in Russia" nee Misha Borisovich Vainberg, who, by the end of Aburdistan, will have burrowed his way just as deeply into your heart. The news gets better. Shteyngart has taken Absurdistan to an even funnier, Joseph Heller-ish direction, throwing Misha into a contemporary political nightmare that not only makes his readers laugh, but also makes them think seriously about the absurdity of US foreign policy. The only effort the reader needs exert to enjoy "Aburdistan" is turn the pages. Appropriate, don't you think? The story focuses on Misha, a Russian-born, American-educated rap-loving 30 year old, whose only goal is to return to New York. He's trapped back in Russia, unable to get a visa because his father (a Russian dissident turned mobster) has killed an Oklahoman with the unlikely name of Roger Daltry. Determined to be reunited with his New York girlfriend Rouenna (currently under the spell of her unsavory Russian writing professor, modeled on no less than Shteyngart himself), Misha decides to travel to Absurdistan, where he intends to purchase (bribe his way to) a Begian passport. This is where the story truly gains momentum, for nothing in Absurdistan is what it appears--not the Hyatt manager, not the newly instigated civil war, not even the Golly Burton (Halliburton) luau, complete with goodie bags. Each twist and turn of life in Absurdistan brings new insight and surprise, both to Misha and Shteyngart's readers. Shteyngart brings just the right amount of pathos and humor to this tale of love, war, and longing for home. It will be no surprise then that Absurdistan was named one of the best books of 2006 by the "New York Times Book Review," "Time," "The Washington Post Book World," "San Francisco Chronicle," "Boston Globe Sunday," "Chicago Tribune," "The Seattle Times," and the "Rocky Mountain News." This book is as large as its main character, and as charming. Now in paperback, it'd make a great summer read.

Let's say, for an experiment, you take your favorite Eveyln Waugh novel (perhaps Scoops?), your favorite Tom Robbins books (Cowgirls? Jitterbug Perfume?) and add a copy of Jonathan Safran Foer's classic, Everything is Illuminated; combine in a Cuisinart, pulse on High for 1 minute. Serve immediately. THAT is what this book resembles, or certainly feels like. It has comedy, absurdity, political observation and, oh yes, the social grace to offend someone somewhere. A bit like Borat, but with class. This is actually a brilliant literary achievement. Better yet, it is FUN to read. I doubt that any of the reviewers on this page of who miserly gave Absurdistan a star, or two, have any sense of humor. This is a five-star classic, in the league of Catch 22 for wit and parody.

Possible Spoilers: Absurdistan is a novel characterized by absurd situations highlighting heavily clashes of culture and class in our world society today. However, no matter how absurd, every situation pertains directly to current events in today's world. Misha, the main character, is a rich and food-and-drink-loving Russian man with an extremely strong Western influence who desires greatly to move to America. He wears "vintage" Puma tracksuits and raps American rap with his friend Alyosha-Bob. Despite his love for America, he is trapped in Russia because his father, an influential Russian mob boss, murdered an Oklahoman businessman and the American embassy refuses to let Misha enter America. The culture clashes emerge throughout the novel, sometimes allowing for a bettering of character, and other times just expressing the differences between different peoples of the world. Misha's first relationship is with Rouenna, a low-class, Hispanic, "ghetto" woman from New York. Although Misha is the rich, educated, "cultured" member of the relationship, Rouenna has a lot to teach and a mutual sharing of knowledge commences. Misha puts Rouenna through college, but Rouenna teaches Misha the pleasures of sex, doing laundry, and sex while doing laundry. Also, even though their class, race, and education are entirely different, they are both heavily influenced by American urban culture. Misha and Rouenna find a bond despite the severe difference in their backgrounds. Absurdistan shows the massive gap between the upper class in the country of Absurdistan and its lower class through the obvious manipulation of the latter by the former. The Nanabragov family creates a war and bomb the rabble in order to get aid from the UN. The rich Americans make money off of the war by getting a "blank check" from the Department of Defense while the people of Absurdistan are being killed and their homes are being bombed to the point where one woman offers to prostitute herself and her child to Misha. The Nanabragovs respect and accommodate Misha in Absurdistan just because of his money and possible connections to Israel while they treat their own people with disdain and kill them off in order to make money. Absurdistan is a very germane novel and points to many different problems in our time, and I always anticipated the next time I could sit down and continue the book.

Sometimes the 2nd novel is a let-down. ABSURDISTAN follows a debut, THE RUSSIAN DEBUTANTE'S HANDBOOK that is frankly, hard to top. Shteyngart has done it. ABSURDISTAN is the story of Misha Vainberg aka "Snack Daddy." The son of a Jewish Russian Gangster, "Snack" got an education at a ritzy private American college called Accidental, kind of a cross between Antioch and Oberlin. After his father assassinates a competitor, a guy from Oklahoma, "Snack Daddy" is unable to obtain a visa to return from Russia to his beloved New York. His girlfriend is back in New York and Misha finds out that she is being seduced by one of his former classmates, a Professor Shteynfarb. Misha is determined to find a way back to America. He heads to Absurdistan, an oil-rich former Soviet republic on the Caspian. From his perch in the penthouse of the Hyatt Snack Daddy watches the country dissolve into civil war. All he wants is a Belgian passport and his next meal. ABSURDISTAN is a comic farce and a tour de force. I laughed my way through it.