ABOUT
THE BOOK

2020 Longlist

Barry Cohen, master of the universe, has just had a very public meltdown involving a dinner party, an insider trading investigation and a $30,000 bottle of Japanese whisky. So he flees New York City, leaving behind his beautiful young wife and son, but remembering to bring his six favourite designer watches. Zig-zagging south through Trump’s America on a Greyhound Bus pilgrimage he is singularly unprepared for, Barry heads to Texas – to find his old college girlfriend and, with her, a shot at a second chance…

About the Author

Gary Shteyngart is the bestselling author of the memoir Little Failure and the novels Super Sad True Love Story (winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize), Absurdistan, The Russian Debutante’s Handbook (winner of the Stephen Crane Award for First Fiction and Lake Success. His books have been published in thirty countries.

Librarian’s Comments

The author traces the rise and fall of a Mahattan hedge-fund manager. This portrait of Barry Cohen, whose idea of making the world a better place, is buying a Rolex for every impoverished child, reflects the state of Trump’s America. This is a country desperately trying to be happy and failing in the attempt. With sharp criticism  of racism, corruption and human disrespect, this novel takes a strong moral stance. Universitätsbibliothek Bern, Switerland

It had nearly the same appeal to me as Jonathan Coe’s book: who are the Americans these days? What is the future of a nation so polarized?
Universitäts-und Landesbibliothek Bonn, Germany