![]() They are not the only members of the eponymous cohort whose job descriptions amount to a kind of professionalized representation, which Slate’s Laura Miller has already brilliantly detailed. My friends and colleagues and I could nearly be said to be this topical novel’s topic to varying degrees: A group of well-drawn New-York-based characters have convened at main character Sasha’s country estate, and two are writers (seemingly on either side of career pinnacles) who each pull their identities and personal histories to the fore. It is also, I’m a little embarrassed to admit, the first Shteyngart novel I’ve read, though perhaps that also frees me from the expectations I noticed several reviewers placing on this novel vis-à-vis his previous work. In this sense, Gary Shteyngart’s Our Country Friends, which opts instead for Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya as its pandemic inspiration, is the topical novel for me. Known connections to this year’s contenders: “None.” ![]() ![]() Atom Atkinson (they/them) is a writer and consultant who has served as the Director of Writing Programs at Catapult and the inaugural Director of Literary Arts at Chautauqua Institution. ![]()
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