Friday, November 19, 2010

iPod People


Editor's Note: This marks the second guest blog that Pygmies and Peanut Butter has hosted. I am thrilled to invite my friend MB to share her thoughts on Gary Shteyngart's dystopian-ish Super Sad True Love Story. You can find our last guest blog entry by extrachrisb on the classic Geek Love here.

I will again encourage anyone reading this to consider guest blogging, it would be my pleasure to host your work, as it has been in this instance. I hope you enjoy the blog entry below, I know I did.



Super Sad True Love Story
by Gary Shteyngart
2010, Random House


Set in a dystopian near-future version of America via NYC, Shteyngart's fictional world is the stuff of every urban-dwelling liberal's worst nightmare: books have fallen out of favor, preteens are sporting transparent "onionskin" jeans, and no one dares to leave the house without their hand-held mobile device (known as an "aparat"). The dollar is nearly worthless, creating an ever-widening chasm between rich and poor. America is falling apart and its pieces are being auctioned off to the highest bidder.

In the midst of all this chaos springs the love affair between Lenny Abrimov and Eunice Park, as told through his candid diary entries and her archived internet activity (blog entries, e-mails, and instant messages). The plot follows these two as they wade through social, political, and familial turmoil, as well as their own emotional baggage, in search of their place in the world.

Lenny is an unattractive middle-aged man desperately trying to succeed in a post-modern America that values wealth, youth, and looks above all else. Unfortunately for Lenny, his love of books, taste for good food, and visceral need for emotional connection leave him ill-equipped for the task. We often find him succumbing to the ideals and pressures of society, even though they are at odds with his own values, as clearly demonstrated by his blind love for the young and stunning Eunice Park.

Eunice, Lenny's object of desire, is a young, attractive Korean-American post-grad from California. She is a true product of the culture; she is self-obsessed, materialistic, and permanently connected to her aparat. Paralyzed by low self-esteem, Eunice denies herself the right to feel intelligent, talented, or worthy of affection. She exists as an empty and consumer-driven shell of herself.

Deep down he knows Eunice isn't a match for him intellectually, but he enjoys the societal approval that comes with dating a beautiful young woman. Through Eunice's youth and looks, Lenny finds himself attractive and young by proxy. This all makes him feel a bit silly and shallow and in order to rationalize these feelings, he convinces himself that there is understated depth in her vanity and materialism - depth that simply isn't there. Lenny's assessment of Eunice's character is often funny in its willful delusion.

The allure of youth, and by extension, immortatlity, is a prominent theme throughout the novel. Lenny makes his living as a salesman for Post-Human Services, a company that sells indefinite life extension to the very rich. The allure of immortality is a prominent theme throughout the novel; as his boss (and mentor) Joshie puts it, "Eternal life is the only life that matters. All else is just a moth circling the light." When we first meet Lenny, he is determined to live forever.

As society breaks down and the future of America grows bleak, Lenny and Eunice are forced to self-reflect. This is often painful as they are accustomed to a steady steam of distractions from their own inner lives. Out of necessity, they begin to establish honest human connections and slowly accept their true nature. The cracks in Eunice's veneer allow us to see through her vapid, self-centered exterior to the genuine and caring person underneath. As for Lenny, he finds himself questioning his devotion to the promise of youth and immortality.

And that is the take-home message: We Americans go to great lengths to avoid confronting our own humanity and mortality. We exploit entertainment and technology to distract ourselves from the difficult, painful, and embarrassing aspects of human experience. Yet, it is only when Lenny and Eunice are forced to leave behind their distractions and confront these uncomfortable truths that they are able to find true meaning in their lives.

Super Sad True Love Story is not a love story of two people. It is an ode to everything that makes us human and ultimately, death - super sad, true, and beautiful as it is.

Guest blog entry by MB.