Acton reviewed Lake Success by Gary Shteyngart
Review of 'Lake Success' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Wow. Lake sucesses has much to say. The central character is Barry, a hedge fund manager with bad problems-- legal, marital, and emotional. His son has been diagnosed with severe autism, which has put stress on his home life, and his business dealings might get him in serious trouble. So.... Barry is running away. By Greyhound, without a cell phone or credit cards. He envisions this as an On the Road type of adventure (he also fancies himself to be the literary sort). And he does have an adventure. Through his eyes, the author manages to depict life outside Barry's bubble in both sympathetic and satirical ways.
Meanwhile, his wife Seema is having her own crises and adventures. Seema's surroundings might be opulent, but her life revolves around her son's needs and therapies. And yes, it's lucky that she can afford this. She's conflicted about this wealth, not so secretly …
Wow. Lake sucesses has much to say. The central character is Barry, a hedge fund manager with bad problems-- legal, marital, and emotional. His son has been diagnosed with severe autism, which has put stress on his home life, and his business dealings might get him in serious trouble. So.... Barry is running away. By Greyhound, without a cell phone or credit cards. He envisions this as an On the Road type of adventure (he also fancies himself to be the literary sort). And he does have an adventure. Through his eyes, the author manages to depict life outside Barry's bubble in both sympathetic and satirical ways.
Meanwhile, his wife Seema is having her own crises and adventures. Seema's surroundings might be opulent, but her life revolves around her son's needs and therapies. And yes, it's lucky that she can afford this. She's conflicted about this wealth, not so secretly despising her husband's profession, and mourning the youthful decision she made to give up a law career for marriage and motherhood.
The important backdrop behind this story is the Trump campaign of 2016. After the election late that year, many mourned, many were shocked and scared, but for those whose day to day life is a struggle, the political world has nothing to do with them. Barry meets some of those people on the bus, people whose lives are not going to be changed by any tax cuts. Does this change Barry? That question is ripe for discussion.
This is a thought provoking story with an intricate plot and well-developed characters and back stories. I recommend it highly.
