Gary Shteyngart, author of The Russian Debutante's Handbook, creates a compelling reality in this tale about an illiterate America in the not-too-distant future. Lenny Abramov may just be penning the world's last diary. Which is good, because while falling in love with a rather unpleasant woman and witnessing the fall of a great empire, Lenny has a lot to write about.
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"Funny, poignant and thoughtful, this book is about Lenny and Eunice, trying to make their way through life. Set in a future that doesn't seem too far away, really, with some chapters written as chat message exchanges, this book almost seems prescient in its description of a future where credit poles evaluate everyone's worth, and boats of refugees want to leave the US! Shteyngart's dystopian future is exaggerated, yet identifiable, which is what makes this book so clever."
— Vansa (5 out of 5 stars)
“A supersad, superfunny, superaffecting performance…that also uncovers his abilities to write deeply and movingly about love and loss and mortality…In recounting the story of Lenny and Eunice in his antic, supercaffeinated prose, Mr. Shteyngart gives us his most powerful and heartfelt novel yet—a novel that performs the delightful feat of mashing up an apocalyptic satire with a genuine supersad true love story.”
— New York Times“Shteyngart makes trenchant, often hilarious, observations about a fading empire.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine“With Shteyngart’s nutty knack for tangy language, it’s as if Vladimir Nabokov rewrote 1984.”
— People“Funny, on-target, and ultimately sad as it captures the absurdity and anxiety of navigating an increasingly out-of-control world.”
— Entertainment Weekly“A slit-your-wrist satire illuminated by the author’s absurd wit…This zany Russian immigrant loops the comedy of Woody Allen’s Sleeper through the grim insights of George Orwell’s 1984 to produce a Super Sad True Love Story that exposes the moral bankruptcy of our techno-lust.”
— Washington Post“Blending sharp satire with moving portraits of love between lonely people, Gary Shteyngart’s fiendishly clever third novel leaves you wondering whether that dull ache in your stomach is from laughter or just plain sadness…Like flicking between Tolstoy and Facebook on an iPad.”
— Observer (London)“Shteyngart presents another profane and dizzying satire, a dystopic vision of the future as convincing—and, in its way, as frightening—as Cormac McCarthy’s The Road…Shteyngart’s earnestly struggling characters—along with a flurry of running gags—keep the nightmare tour of tomorrow grounded. A rich commentary on the obsessions and catastrophes of the information age and a heartbreaker worthy of its title, this is Shteyngart’s best yet.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“What do you get when you cross Woody Allen with Lolita and 1984? Gary Shteyngart’s new satirical novel, Super Sad True Love Story…Grupper and Ahn’s performances provide listeners with all the wit, humor, and clever writing to be found in this unique novel.”
— AudioFile“Full-tilt and fulminating satirist Shteyngart is mordant, gleeful, and embracive as he funnels today’s follies and atrocities into a devilishly hilarious, soul-shriveling, and all-too plausible vision of a ruthless and crass digital dystopia in which techno-addled humans are still humbled by love and death.”
— Booklist (starred review)“Adam Grupper and Ali Ahn bring these characters to life, perfectly voicing their perspectives. Not so much a sad love story about two people as one of an entire world. Recommended.”
— Library Journal“This cyber-apocalyptic vision of an American future seems eerily like the present, in a bleak comedy that is even more frightening than funny…Chilling. The narrative proceeds in a surprising yet inevitable manner to the outcome the title promises. When Lenny realizes ‘I can’t connect in any meaningful way to anyone,’ he’s writing about not merely a technological breakdown but the human condition, where the line distinguishing comedy from tragedy dissolves.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)" 3.5 stars. Started to annoy me towards the end, but a decent book. Vonnegutesque in many ways, the future is a world bereft of true human contact. People talk on their "apparats" and their credit scores/likability ratings are flashed onscreen as they walk by. Corporations rule. That kind of thing with a Russian Jewish influence. "
— Jeff, 2/20/2014" I wavered back and forth on whether I liked the book, but in the end would say it was a great read - just definitely a bit disturbing. "
— Lindsey, 2/20/2014" What a strange little nugget of fiction. I'm not sure whether I hated it, but, I certainly didn't love it. I guess I should have been able to infer from the title that the plot was simply the love story, but for some reason I kept waiting for something to happen. What should have been most interesting here, the social landscape Shteyngart has created, really just comes off as a lackluster derivative of Margaret Atwood's much more compelling environment from Oryx & Crake/Year of the Flood. Regardless, I applaud the scope of the satire and the scathing wit of the social commentary. "
— Steven, 2/18/2014" More science fiction for people who have never read any science fiction. I got bored by the subtle romantic misogyny and wheel-reinvention. "
— Andrea, 2/16/2014" I love a dystopia, and this near-term one was a great read. Shteyngart may be our best satirist today. I continue to make do without a cell phone, thank you very much. "
— Dale, 2/2/2014" Brilliant book, couldn't put it down. Ended abruptly though. "
— Cybelecochran, 1/28/2014" An excellent book that is both funny and a interesting critique of the future of social media. This novel was so easy to read that I just couldn't put it down--I finished it in 2 days! "
— Etan, 1/25/2014" Most absurd love story with elements of science fiction. Funny! "
— Vadim, 1/19/2014" A deep story about shallow people in a shallow culture told in their shallow language. Fabulous. Every page a gem. Outstanding. "
— Tagnahoor, 1/2/2014" I could verbal all day about how much I loved this book. "
— Maggie, 11/17/2013" OK. Amusing and yet scary that the author's view of the not-too-distant future has a very real possibilty economically and politically. "
— Debby, 11/16/2013" It was thoughtfully written and unique but glad when it was done. Poor Lenny. "
— Joanne, 11/9/2013" The future is hopeless .... "
— Megan, 3/16/2013" Well-written, interesting depiction of a dystopian future, where social media has pretty much taken over society. Only giving it two stars because of the repugnancy of the characters. Maybe that was the point, although I think I was supposed to like Lenny, since he likes books. "
— Rachel, 3/9/2013" A super smart sad future. I was dragged kicking and screaming through this novel. I'm not typically a modern scifi fan, but this isn't really of that genre. It's simply tomorrow. Or the day after. A beautiful book - a boy, a girl, and the interference of their "friends". "
— Clivia, 10/23/2012" I'm probably giving this only three stars because of its strength. This dystopia is too dismal, too recognizable, and depressingly too plausible. "
— Ann, 6/6/2012" I loved the first half of this book, but I just kept expecting more from the second half. And the very end was just weird, and I'm not sure I completely get it. It's a sad world Shteyngart created where books are old smelly things and nobody knows how to read. Let's just hope it never comes to be! "
— Mai, 4/26/2012" Gary Shteyngart is a comic genius and this is a fantastic satire of our corporate/youth-obsessed/media-driven culture. Hilarious and true. Five stars. "
— Sean, 3/26/2012" way better than absurdistan, it was fairly good. it seemed as if the ending was forced & ended strangely (not in a good or interesting way) - but great for all of it's futuristic prophesies-which are SO IMAGINATIVE. "
— molly, 2/15/2012" 'Super' book I read for my dissertation. I suppose you'd describe it as 'postmodern'. Set in the near future, it's brilliant and throughly unusual. Fab! "
— Alexandra, 2/12/2012" Really good book. Great characters that develop and you want to keep knowing, wonderful prose, and a story setting, that quite frankly was fascinating and unnerving because you could easily see it being our not to distant future. "
— Gina, 10/11/2011" Found this book to be very thought provoking and scary at times to think that this really could be our near future. "
— Sarah, 8/21/2011" this is a beautiful update of 1984. shtynegart writes like a cross between philip roth and woody allen. his humor is so funny and real it can make you cry. his vision of the near future is frighteningly real. his concept of the "pogrom within and the pogrom without" is too true. "
— J.d., 5/24/2011" Can't say I enjoyed this one. The satire was a bit too obvious, the characters a bit too flat. The mundaneness of the character's lives and aspirations in the face of the events surrounding them was thought-provoking, but didn't make for a compelling read. "
— Marshall, 5/24/2011" I HATED this book. I couldn't even try to finish it. No only is it overly explicit, but I couldn't even begin to relate to the characters. The story was going nowhere and to boot there was no depth to the book. If you run across a copy, burn it. "
— Jessie, 5/24/2011" Technically it's sic-fi of the absurd satire type but the world Shteyngart describes feels creepily plausible and in many instances even familiar. "
— Isabelle, 5/23/2011" Gary Shteyngart has forged a new genre -- funny dystopian fiction! What a wonderous way with adjectives! I'm so pleased that he created this "printed bound non-streaming media artifact". And the view of New York City on the eve of the collapse of the US is totally believable. Read it! "
— Debra, 5/21/2011" Not to diss Super Sad True Love Story or anything, but it's not as good as Absurdistan. And Absurdistan is not quite a 5. So, 3. <br/> <br/>I refuse to give in to review inflation. "
— Ed, 5/21/2011" Funny satire about what is going on with our obsession with technology, but it was a bit gimmicky with no characters that I cared about at the resolution. "
— Alison, 5/20/2011" I would like to give Gary Shteyngart a hug. <br/> <br/>While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it definitely lived up to its name. So much of it was really funny, while so much of it was sad because it was already becoming true, or you could see it happening in the near future. "
— Molly, 5/17/2011" This book lived up to the hype I thought<br/> "
— Sybil, 5/15/2011" Beautifully sad love story told through both partners in a futuristic America. Adored it. "
— Nicole, 5/14/2011" Definitely recommend this one-- highly enjoyable and highly successful at what it's trying to do. "
— Rebecca, 5/13/2011Gary Shteyngart is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestselling memoir Little Failure, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the novel Super Sad True Love Story, winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize. His books regularly appear on best-of lists around the world and have been translated into twenty-nine languages.
Ali Ahn is a film, television, and voice actor. Her acting credits include appearances on Law & Order, Ugly Betty, White Collar, and Zero Hour. She has also narrated numerous audio books, such as Honolulu by Alan Brennert, This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen, Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas, and Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart.
Adam Grupper, award-winning narrator, has garnered honors from AudioFile magazine, Publishers Weekly, iTunes, the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences, and the Audio Publishers Association. He has been in eleven Broadway productions, including the acclaimed revival of Fiddler on the Roof. His film and television credits include The Rebound, Homeland, Master of None, Music and Lyrics, Two Weeks Notice, Elementary, and Allegiance.