ABCD Reads "Vera, or Faith" by Gary Shteyngart

ABCD Reads Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart.

[RESULTS of the poll for this event]

:: ABOUT THE BOOK ::
"Shteyngart’s new novel, “Vera, or Faith,” tastes at first like a cherry-flavored gumdrop, but it’ll burn a hole in your tongue. The heroine, Vera, is a 10-year-old Korean American in a wealthy White family. She may be the smartest kid in fifth grade, but she’s so anxious that she compulsively flaps her hands, which attracts bullies in the classroom the way blood draws sharks in the water... Vera — her name means “faith” in Russian — just wants to make a friend, get perfect grades and maybe meet her real mother. But as the comedy seeps out of this story like air from a tire, the novel keeps picking up speed until it’s grinding on its rims.
This is no place for a child. This is no place for anybody. And yet you won’t be able to look away." (from the Washington Post)

"A poignant, sharp-eyed, and bitterly funny tale of a family struggling to stay together in a country that's rapidly coming apart, told through the eyes of their wondrous ten-year-old daughter, by the bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story and Our Country Friends." (from Goodreads)

:: ABOUT THE EVENT ::
You are welcome to arrive 30 minutes before the event and stay 30 minutes or longer afterward to connect with other attendees outside the book talk.

Please ensure you have read the book before attending (though finishing any book is not a barrier to participating, as long as you don't mind spoilers).

First-time attendees can join for free. If the event is full, we maintain an unofficial waitlist. Please send Michael a direct message for more information, in either case.

We request a $3 contribution from regular attendees to help cover our monthly meetup costs.

:: ABOUT OUR NEXT BOOK ::
At the end of each event, we will ask for nominees for our next book. If you have a good one in mind, please ensure it is between 200-400 pages long, available from the Toronto Public Library, and counts as contemporary literary fiction (though these are not hard and fast rules). When enough nominees are collected, Michael will send the members a direct message with a link where you can vote.