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Writing a successful pandemic novel is a tall order: we’re still in the middle of it and people, for the most part, don’t want to be reminded of everything they are going through. But, through his darkly funny new novel, Gary Shteyngart proves that there is something to be gained from reading about these unprecedented times. Our Country Friends begins in March 2020 when a group of friends and friends-of-friends retreat to a home in upstate New York with plans to isolate together as COVID-19 shuts down the rest of the world. Shteyngart follows this collective of creatives over the next six months as their relationships shift and their loyalties are tested. The story is rooted in the present but has a timeless feel, with each character attempting to understand their place in the group and their connection to the life they once lived outside of it.

Buy Now: Our Country Friends on Bookshop | Amazon

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