Usher in September with Gary Shteyngart’s latest novel, Lake Success. Shteyngart has a dedicated following, and he always manages to tackle issues like love, self, and fidelity in relatable ways. This LibraryReads pick does exactly that (as well as exploring wealth, immigration, and race in this satirical look at America) so make sure your library collection has this audiobook. Your patrons will be clamoring for it!
View the full list of September LibraryReads picks and check out our LibraryReads Make Great Listens collection to see all of our BOT LibraryReads picks since the program began. Now, see why our September BOT LibraryReads pick is a must-listen.
By Gary Shteyngart
Read by Arthur Morey & Soneela Nankani
LISTEN TO A CLIP:LAKE SUCCESS
LibraryReads review: “Shteyngart delivers another painfully funny novel about ambition, disappointment, and the darker side of the American dream. For fans of witty, offbeat, satirical humor.” —Jennifer Alexander, St. Louis County Public Library, St. Louis, MO
Why try the audio? Gary Shteyngart’s novels always feature witty characters that have distinctive voices. In this case, it’s Barry and Seema. Hedge-fund manager Barry Cohen is under investigation and, at the same time, discovers his young son has Autism; so, he flees New York in search of a stress-free life. Meanwhile, even though she lives every first-generation immigrant’s success story of a wealthy lifestyle, his super-smart wife, Seema, has her own troubles to face. Actor (and award-winning narrator) Arthur Morey and actress Soneela Nankani share narration duties and brilliantly bring these two main characters to life. By listening to the audio, you’ll get an even richer experience of the novel.
Praise for LAKE SUCCESS:
“As good as anything we’ve seen from this author: smart, relevant, fundamentally warm-hearted, hilarious of course, and it has a great ending.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Shteyngart’s latest is a hilarious, melancholic, and rapier-sharp tale for our times.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“Shteyngart does slapstick as well as ever, but he stakes out new terrain in the expert way he develops his characters’ pathos. . . . [Lake Success is] a stylish, big-hearted novel. Shteyngart made his name as a sharp satirist, and he’ll undoubtedly widen his appeal with this effort.” —Publishers Weekly
“Stupendous . . . a novel that seems to have been created in real time, reflecting with perfect comedy and horrible tragedy exactly what America feels like right this minute.” —Elizabeth Gilbert
“Lake Success is Gary Shteyngart, so you already know it’s the funniest book you’ll read all year. But the surprise here is the novel’s epic sweep, its melancholy resonance. What begins as a rollicking and zinger-filled road trip sneakily deepens into a poignant tale of a man trying to outrace his problems. I was utterly floored by Shteyngart’s staggeringly beautiful denouement.” —Maria Semple
See all ten of September’s LibraryReads 2018 picks on the LibraryReads site.Sign up for our newsletters to get more behind-the-mic news!
