Our Country Friends is impressively rich with details and backstory, the kind of fascinating intricacy that I relish. Also, it’s a pandemic story, one in which a few old friends hunker down together at one friend’s country estate to catch up with each other while in lockdown.
Since this is a Gary Shteyngart novel, I’d expected a comedy, but I feel that this story is mostly a tragedy. When I did chuckle, I did so heartily, though, because groundhogs are always funny. That’s not to make anyone think of groundhog’s day–it’s never the same old same old with this cast.
It’s extremely important that these friends are not all alone; the landowner, Sasha, has invited a man we know only as The (famous) Actor. Therefore, this out of the way place gets some unwanted attention on social media, along with the ominous presence of an outsider.
Sasha and his wife Masha, their young daughter Nat, and friends Vinod, Karen, Dee, and Ed are together, intensely, for about six months. During this time, there is much romance, soul searching, and the discovery of a shocking betrayal.
Shteyngart might be channeling Chekhov with the brief bits of humor wrapped in tragedy. Is a gun introduced, and if so, what is it? The author does tease us a bit, here.
There are so many things I enjoyed about this novel–Vinod’s symbolic dreams, the depiction of social media, and the descriptions of the various cultures and childhoods of these friends all make this a fascinating read. I recommend it.
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Note: I did not score this read on Netgalley, Edelweiss, or Book Tasters. It's a book group selection.
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