BOOK REVIEW! I haven't done one in awhile, sorry about that.
I really only got Little Failure because it was hyped so much- I'd seen it multiple times on Flavorwire and I had watched the trailer on Youtube. Of course I expected it to be hilarious and entertaining, but what I really didn't expect was the depth of emotion that was expressed between the bouts of humor.
Gary Shteyngart moved from Soviet Russia to America when he was seven. In his book, he traces the immigrant experience, from having nothing to slowly moving upwards in society, the guilt at having money and luxuries when others don't, but the constant desire for more.
I really like Shteyngart's writing. It's not beautiful, but it's accessible, and the way he fuses humor and dark truth really drives the story home. I find that I enjoy very few autobiographies; after a few chapters I find myself simply not caring about the author anymore. And if Shteyngart didn't write with so much humor, I might have become disinterested. But he kept me hooked with his sarcasm and self-deprecation enough that I was able to get through, and enjoy, the more serious and painful sides of his life. I also enjoyed learning about his family, and the character traits he considers to be "Russian". Russia is a country I don't ultimately know much about, especially the people there, so I liked the insight his book provided. It wasn't a groundbreaking read, but it was enjoyable and I would recommend it.
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