A review by booksbeforebs
Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart

dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This is the kind of fiction I love to read: smart, well-written, darkly funny yet poignant. I blazed through ‘Vera, or Faith’ in just a few hours, it’s such an enjoyable book and so absorbing. It helps that it has a lightning-quick pace, with not a single unnecessary word or scene, and at 256 pages, it’s a fairly short read. 
 
Telling a story from the perspective of a child is always a risk, but for this story, it’s perfect, and the author pulls it off faultlessly. I love ten-year-old Vera. She feels so real and relatable—as are all the characters who surround her. I can still see the image of Vera’s father crying in “Daddy’s Little Pool”, aka the hot tub at their summer house. 
 
The dystopian setting feels very real, too. Unfortunately, I can imagine just this kind of scenario occurring in America within the next decade, with the “Five-Three” amendment granting enhanced votes to “exceptional Americans” (read: those who can trace their ancestry back to white settlers who arrived pre-Revolutionary War and who were not slaves), and with menstrual cycle checking upon entry and exit to certain states as a way of controlling women’s reproductive choices. This makes the book particularly insightful and important, as it invites the reader to consider how the future might look for children like Vera if the adults of today don’t recognise the threat we all face and do something to stop such a decline from democracy. 
 
The struggle with identity, particularly around ethnicity, is something that a lot of readers will relate to as well. As is the amount of pressure placed on children nowadays. 
 
‘Vera, or Faith’ is a great choice for anyone looking for an entertaining read with a lot of heart and important underlying themes. With its wonderful characters and accessible writing style, it’s also great for anyone looking to dip their toes in Literary Fiction. 
 
Many thanks to NetGalley, Gary Shteyngart and Atlantic Books for the ARC.
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