In “Vera, or Faith,” American Gary Shteyngart chronicles a dystopian future for his country.
It's one of the most anticipated novels of the year across the Atlantic: this July 8th, “Vera, or Faith,” the latest work by American Gary Shteyngart, is released in English. It tells the story of little Vera in a dystopian future where democracy is gradually sliding towards fascism in the United States. A future very close to the reality of the Trump era, critics point out.
This is the story of Vera, a 10-year-old girl growing up in a wealthy American family. Particularly brilliant at school, the heroine of Vera, or Faith, is nevertheless plagued by great anxiety. “But who could blame her? There is reason to be anxious in this dystopian version of the United States, not so far from our daily lives,” notes The Washington Post . Because once again, the American Gary Shteyngart brilliantly seizes on contemporary anxieties to imagine a dystopian future, in this sixth novel, which is published on July 8 in English (by Random House, and not yet published in French).
It was one of the most anticipated works this year on the other side of the Atlantic, and critics were not disappointed. It holds up a mirror to Donald Trump 's United States by telling "how a family experiences the slide of a democracy towards fascism," the newspaper continues.
“For Shteyngart, who remains close to this 10-year-old girl, the world is crumbling in the background until its cruelty suddenly comes violently into homes.”
Known for his novels satirizing the United States today, such as Lake Success (translated by L'Olivier, 2020) or Very Dear Friends (
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