Absurdistan by Gary Shteynhart

There was an article about the author, Gary Shteynhart, in the New York Times, "Is Gary Shteyngart One of the Last Novelists to Make Real Money From the Craft?". Reading the whole article did not reveal any justification for the title. The article only talked about his expensive bespoke suits, watch collection and the fact that he has made money from his writing. The eye-catching title sucked me into reading the article. But still, it did point me to his author and I borrowed his second book from the library.

I am always disappointed by books that are acclaimed by book critics. Generally, I find them boring. Maybe I just don't understand the deep meaning hidden in the writing.  So, I was not surprised when I read this book and wondered what the hullaballoo was about? The story is about as absurd as it could be given its title, and maybe that is the point. It's funny in parts and meanders along. 

A small country on the Caspian sea is sunk in a civil war between its two ethnic groups, the Suvis and the Svanis.The leader of the previous ruling group is apparently assassinated and the controlling Svanis are struggling to bring "democracy" to the country.Maybe the country has oil. American companies like "Gollyburton", KBR, and ExxonMobil are there for the money that is to be made. The protagonist is a 350 lb man named Misha Vainberg who is the 1,238th-richest man in Russia. He wants to emigrate to the USA to be with the love of his life from the South Bronx from his time at an Amrican university in Chicago. But, the US would not give him a visa because his now-deceased father had murdered an Oklahoma businessman. Misha is desperate in his atempts to get to the USA but gets drafted to be the Cultural Minister in Absurdistan. The absurdities continue in in this parody of America's purported attempts to bring democracy to any country in the world, whether it wants it or not. Predicatably, the results are as disastrous as with any of the USA's past attempts at interfering in other countries' internal affairs.