Absurdistan Overview

Absurdistan is a very unique read even for someone who has read quite a bit. For some this uniqueness might be make the book a good read but for me it seemed to over complicate the reading to the point where it was hard to discern the important from the meaningless. Gary Shteyngart was so wrapped up in creating a sardonic tone and a caustic narration that he failed to make the plot convincing. Although Misha did have all the gluttonous charateristics we could relate to, and even some of the charitable ones, he remained to caustic for the reader to get close to. This was coupled with the fact that all the environments misha seems to get put in only seem to support the bizzarity of the book. At some points I would feel pity for Misha afterall his situation is a bad one, and in these moments I would feel some brief connection with his character, but it would not be long till Misha made a comment that seemed to ruin that connection. It is this inability to keep a certain feeling going or to flow smoothly into the next that makes this book a very difficult read. Perhaps if I read it again I would feel more enticed, but this first reading was not at all as entertaining as I would have hoped when I was picking out my novel. The book was a relatively funny satire of modernday Russia and its socially and economically elite class but as far as entertainment value goes Absurdistan is not up for any awards in my book.