It's March 2020. The world is shutting down, and writer Sasha Senderovsky has the perfect plan to survive the apocalypse: invite a group of friends to his country house (alongside five bungalows, built to reflect a writers' colony he remembers from the Soviet Union), load up the pantry with expensive alcohol, and see what happens.

Hilarity ensues.

The core of this group is Sasha's closest friends since high school: Karen Cho, whose latest dating app has made millions, and Vinod Mehta, the guy who helped Sasha's writing career but who never found success himself (and who never gave up the torch for Karen that has burned since high school). Sasha's wife, Masha, spends her days providing online therapy to anxiety- and FoxNews-stricken, elderly Russian emigres.

To the core four, Shteyngart adds Ed Kim, a worldly man who acts as the group's chef; The Actor, brought in to complete a screenplay Sasha hopes to sell to a network; the Senderovskys' adopted daughter Natasha; and Dee, a southern girl, former student of Sasha's, brought in to liven things up a bit, encourage The Actor to see things Sasha's way, and to face the brunt of "cancel culture."

Living out in the country, the commune finds itself surrounded by Blue Lives Matter flags and suspicious black pick-up trucks turning into the long driveway. The events of the crisis--the murder of George Floyd, especially--are noted, although the Election story lies deep in the background. Cancel culture and Silicon Valley overreach also feature prominently. And one character vividly struggles with Covid-19 in an unforgettable section of the book.

Shteyngart's satire is razor-sharp. The excesses of cancel culture and the earnestness of white liberals get their fare share of send-offs. The bit that made me laugh out loud was when the Network responded to Sanderovsky's screenplay about characters in a downtrodden, village somewhere in the former Soviet empire:
"It's the subject matter. Oligarchs, hookers, payoffs. A former Soviet republic won't seem that different from 2020 America to the viewer."

Doesn't that make it pertinent?" Senderovsky asked.

"No, it makes it depressing."


This is the fourth Shteyngart book I've read, and while it had me laughing, I probably missed out on some of the references, too. The characterization only reached deep enough to set up a handful of gags for each character. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy in return for an honest review.

What always most characterizes Shteyngart’s books is the overwhelming tone of fatalistic sweetness - whether his books are directly concerning Russian emigrants or not (and they usually are), the sense that we are all doomed, but might as well enjoy the company of others, suffuses his work.

That’s certainly true of Our Country Friends, where world events and catastrophes (2020, anyone?) reside just offscreen but the damage we cause to each other is center stage (to mix metaphors), though you can only hold off the world’s impact for so long. Put 7 people with shared history or transactional interests together in one setting, keep them there, and watch what happens.

I don’t want to spoil the plot because it’s fun to watch it develop and because plot isn’t the point if you’re reading Gary Shteyngart. Read him for his barbed humanity, for his embrace of the futility of our lives.

I will say that the book’s last quarter is dominated by a slow departure from reality and logic and convention, but the emotions undergirding these flights are consistent and carry you through wherever Shteyngart wants to take you. It’s so rewarding to see an author who could keep churning out comic novels go for something deeper (as he did in Lake Success).

Our Country Friends will be more divisive than his earlier works, but it’s a novel worth reading if only to see where you fall. It’s ambitious while still retaining the reasons you read a Shteyngart novel.

Phew. From the description, I expected this novel to be gripping and fulfill my affection for novels that feature disparate characters and conflict in an isolated setting.' I was not prepared for this gloriously cathartic and moving story. I was IN this story, and it felt so good to shed tears (and laugh) at key points in the plot. To grateful for a novel that is very entertaining and captures the fear, uncertainty, sadness, and hopefulness I think we've all been feeling during this pandemic.

I found this book to move at a nice pace and it was certainly a timely read, being that it is set during the lockdown. I found that the end felt that it didn't go with the rest of the book, that they were spliced together, which was a shame. It was an otherwise pleasant read.

“The Big Chill” set in Summer 2020, this book touches on just about all of the cultural moments that were current then. I enjoyed spending time with this diverse group of characters in this country setting. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Our Country Friends is about a group of people who gather in a country house to wait out the pandemic. It is such a great story. The characters are wonderfully written even the obnoxious and self-entitled Actor. It really delves into the feelings we had at the beginning of the pandemic which is relatable. It is very funny and I think we all can become a little "Stalin in an apron" at times when we are trying to keep people safe and keep things in control. The story is also heartbreaking at times, I can't say much more without ruining things. I found it interesting to see how the wealthy fared at the beginning of things, seems people are more alike than not, except for being able to order endless amounts of things for delivery. All in all, it was a fantastic book. I can't wait to read more by this author.

I am a fan of Gary Shteyngart. I really enjoyed his last book Lake Success. I'm afraid I had trouble getting into this one. I stopped about a third of the way through and haven't picked it up again. None of the characters really grabbed me. There was nothing driving me to continue reading.

He is still a great writer. This one just didn't excite me. Take a sample. Maybe it'll work for you.

Netgalley provided me an e-galley in return for this review.

True to Shteyngart's style, Our Country Friends includes all the irreverent and absurd humor we're grown accustomed to. But applied to a pandemic that is not yet in the past, the novel packed a different kind of gut punch that added a deliciously uncomfortable feeling to the reading experience. The characters reminded me a bit of those from the show Friends from College. Taking a few people with shared history and throwing in a few curveballs makes for some hilarious and awkward interactions. This isn't to say it's an entirely comedic novel, because it certainly contains the darkness appropriate for a book taking place during the times of COVID. Shteyngart just happens to throw it all together in a messy way that works because it mimics life.

Alexander (Sandy) Senderovsky was a Russian immigrant who spent a part of his Queens childhood in bungalow colonies for other immigrants in the Catskills. So when he became a successful author, he bought a home on a large piece of property in that area and surrounded it with small themed bungalows.
Covid forced people out of NYC in early 2020 and so Sandy took his wife Masha, a psychiatric doctor, and their adopted daughter, Natasha, to live in their country house. He also invited five friends and associates to join them. The group included high school friends, Karen Cho and Vinod Mehta. Also Ed Kim, a sophisticated friend of Karen’s, Dee Cameron, a former student of Sasha’s and the Actor who was working to create a television series based on one of Sasha’s books.
Once the group settles in for a 6 month quarantine, new friendships took hold. Old betrayals were exposed and several new romances began.
This is the second ARC that I have read recently about the Covid pandemic and its effects on people. It probably won’t be the last. I enjoyed the humorous situations presented by the author however I did not find any of the characters likable. I also found the transition to earlier events involving Sasha, Vinod and Karen to be confusing.
I received this ARC from the publisher and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

What happens when six friends, fueled by plenty of alcohol, are together during lockdown? We’re far from placing the pandemic in the rearview mirror but the immensely talented Shteyngart studies what could go wrong (and right) under such a pressure cooker environment. Alternatively funny and pithy, the novel gives off Big Chill-esque vibes. The story displays a powerful grasp of class divides and the pressures on progressives seething in the Trumpian era. Overall though, the novel feels half-baked, the bows too neatly tied together in the end. A worthy addition to an impressive body of work but not my favorite.

Honestly, I just couldn't get into this novel. It just seemed like a group of friends where everyone wanted to sleep with everyone else but their societal rules and personal hangups prevented it. Yes there is some discussion of class, race and social privileges but it comes from such a white male POV that it's dry. For example, Nat is a Korean adoptee of the family. One of her main defining characteristics is that she loves BTS and her white parents are bewildered. Her mom, Masha, is angry when she starts to learn Korean. Overall, I felt disconnected from the story.

Perhaps I may revisit this novel after more time has passed. But, the feeling I have about a quarter into this is that it’s too soon for something this farcical about the pandemic for me to enjoy reading.

Four old friends come to weather out the pandemic at the country home of a formerly celebrated Russian emigre author, his psychiatrist wife and their adopted daughter. Things would have gone well if it hadn't been for the Actor, who also shows up. I laughed out loud so many times at the interplay and absurdities. A richly drawn and immersive novel. The ending wasn't as carefully woven as the rest but nonetheless an absorbing and entertaining read. #OurCountryFriends #netgalley

Posted on Goodreads:
Gary Shteyngart may not have been the first writer you thought of to deliver a novel about COVID's strangeness and horror. But it turns out he's exactly the writer. OUR COUNTRY FRIENDS starts as a lark in typical Shteyngartian fashion--hilarious and socially-incisive--and ends as a surreal fever dream. Along with the masking and social distancing he is up-to-the-nanosecond in terms of the weird shoals of the Internet and cancel culture. This is a real leap for him in terms of voice, and he completely pulls it off.

Interesting characters and certainly well written but Mr. Shteyngart too often recycles jokes everyone heard during the pandemic, and weren't all that clever when they were first uttered. He operates from the premise that his audience agrees with his politics and, by incorporating so many stale political jokes and comments, the book feels stale and unnecessary. It overshadows the fun of being with these characters. A disapointment.

Started to read this highly anticipated book...but left after Act 1 ( yes the book is divided into Acts). Did not like any of the characters and couldn't care what happened to them!

A great story. Made me laugh. Kept my interest. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Will recommend to others.

Thank you, Random House and Net Galley, for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've been a Gary Shteyngart fan since reading his first book. There is no one writing about American life quite like him. He has the advantage of being foreign-born (Russian), so he sees our peculiar culture from an outsider's perspective with wit and insight that never fails to liven up the pages. Our Country Friends, his latest novel, is no exception.

In March of 2020, an oddball mismatch of friends, and friends-of-friends, gather at a venerable professor's writing retreat to wait out the pandemic. Six months together produces four romances, betrayal (both old and new), friendships newly formed, and the heartbreak that is Covid.

Could this novel be compared to Chekov? Possibly. It's big. It's sprawling, and it's full of conflicts and re-evaluation of what is ultimately most important in life. Witty, wise, and tragic, Our Country Friends is pure Shteyngart, which means a pure joy to read.

While I like Shteyngart and we share an obsession with watches, I found this book hard going. Just a little bit too self conscious and self involved. I got what he was trying to do( a Russian country house novel)- I just dont think he pulled it off successfully. But give it a try-you may feel differently. .

While it spiraled a bit after the halfway point, I really, really enjoyed reading this book. The tone is a fabulous blend of Chekhovian angst and playful, winky humor. The characters are well-drawn and complex, and although I didn't always like them, I did care about them. This was particularly fun for me, as a NYC dweller and a lover of the area around the Hudson Valley-- Shtenygart clearly knows the area well and loves it. I'd definitely pick up another by him.