Shteyngart's books come festooned with blurbs extolling his "linguistic exuberance" and proclaiming their satire to be "wildly", "snarkily", "devastatingly" funny. The title Super Sad True Love Story is at odds with this reputation, signaling that Shteyngart won't be going for a joke in every paragraph.
Super Sad True Love Story takes place in an alternate America, one that is extremely online, undoubtedly repressive, and deeply in debt to foreign creditors (notably China, Saudi Arabia, and Norway). Our hero Lenny Abramov falls in love with a Korean woman half his age. The tenderness of their relationship provides a refuge from the demands of society.
When I read Shteyngart's previous novel Absurdistan, I felt a huge tonal mismatch between the smart satirical commentary and the cartoonish plot. Super Sad True Love Story is much better balanced, its main story as insightful as its dystopian backdrop. Lenny and Eunice make a believable couple because they provide each other with a salve for their insecurities. They are also both children of immigrants, which feels relevant despite the vast differences between their Russian and Korean parents.
Despite the warning in its title, Super Sad True Love Story is funny. I was fond of the animated otter that serves as the mascot of the American Restoration Authority. The key words in the title turn out to be True Love.
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