I've not read anything by author Gary Schteyngart before so I came in without a sense of this author's style. I picked this book because the main character is a hedge fund manager and I wanted to see if this author was going to give us any new insights to these instant multi million (billion) aire people.

Set during the Trump election, Schteyngart weaves the election through out the entire story. I love when an author can pin society's shortcomings right on the proverbial bulletin board. Greediness, amorality, lying, all play a part in the character of Barry Cohen, a hedge fund manager of a company called This Side of Capital, which he lifted, quite proudly, from F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise.

When we meet Barry, he is in the center of the New York Port Authority, drunk, bleeding and barely knowing his own name. For some reason, that made me laugh, so I continued reading to find that Barry has it all: a beautiful wife, a three year old son, lots and lots of assets in his company. The reader eventually realizes that it is all fake, gloriously fake, and that the super rich have their problems as well. Barry's son is severely autistic, his wife is unhappy and having an affair, and he's under investigation by the SEC.

So Barry does the most incredible thing: he jumps on a Greyhound bus, with nothing but a credit card and clothes he's been wearing for days, in search of the woman that got away, his college girlfriend. From here the story goes on with Barry thinking he is getting back to the "real America" but finds that all that he meets has their own stories and issues. It's about this time when we see Barry making a leap toward maturity. Eventually Barry heads back to New York City to face his demons in the form of his family and the SEC. One lets him off easy, the other doesn't. I don't think it is hard to figure out which is which.

Shteyngart creates a message of an America confused about what really defines success. Look closely, are money, power and possessions the right definition of success, or is this just the ticking of the wristwatches that Barry collects, waiting for it all to blow up?

If this book sounds like one you want to purchase, please consider purchasing it here. I get a small commission and the price stays the same for you!

This was a great read! Shteyngart's take on society and what happened leading up to the current administration is nothing less than brilliant. The main character, Barry Cohen, in all his "master of the universe" awfulness, is still sympathetic and even redeemable in the end. Because that's the message, things will eventually be ok,, we will figure this out and get back to ourselves as individuals and as a country. Can't wait for my patrons to read this!

fantastic! Gary Shteyngart returns with another (long-awaited) hit novel - and he's only getting better.

o Gary Shteyngart is hilarious and talented. There were moments in this book that felt inspired. But ultimately, I didn't care. The novel knows that the protagonist's values are ruining the country and the world but seems to ultimately sympathize with him. I pity Barry. And his story is sad I guess, but I don't really feel sorry for him. I thought his bus trip was ridiculous rather than funny and the watch obsession possibly realistic but ultimately boring and I didn't know why Layla or her parents indulged him. There were some really enjoyable parts, really, but I just don't want to read books about people who are neither likable nor interesting.

I didn't finish this. It was just too "on the nose" for the current political moment to be believable.

The flawed and self-absorbed characters are uncomfortably realistic. These wealthy New Yorkers may be typical, or just a satire, of the city’s elite; however, they are unlike anyone I know. They would certainly not be my choices for dinner companions. The novel is well written and carries the reader along, but it is difficult to enjoy a book when I feel so little connection with the characters. It was a very interesting look at the life of the very wealthy who are as unhappy as poor people.

This novel should win a Pulitzer. It’s astonishing in both its prose and humanity. It’s achingly funny and emotional at the same time. The characters are so well portrayed, the novel is sheer perfection, and I will tell EVERYONE. What a glorious achievement.

Lake  success was interesting...... I haven't read much of Shteyngartian before just bits and piece here and there. This book was different in style of what I have read before. I feel that maybe the humor that was in this novel was more political based and there were small pointers to the Trump era race. There was beautiful structure to how this novel was written. It did flow smoothly and the author is a highly intelligent person. While I normally don't read these type (political) novels, I was still intrigued. You can tell the author blended his sense of writing in with small hidden clues within this novel to mask or hide his views on the current race while leaving it simple enough to pick up on. Overall, I would give this novel 4 stars for its diverse structure. I received this e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

As a fan of Gary shteyngart's work, I was utterly disappointed with his most recent novel. It was unreadable. The main characters were un-engaging, bland, and shallowly conceived. the storyline failed. I wonder why Shteyngart's editor decided to publish this novel, given its shortcomings and shteyngart's obvious talent for writing better.

The funny, satirical pace of this novel starts fast and flags at points, but Barry Cohen's attempt at riding a Greyhound to redemption, or something like it, is worth the ride.