‘Super Sad True Love Story’ is kind of sad.
November 20, 2011
dig1taldiva
Gary Shteyngart’s Super Sad True Love Story delivered on its title’s name, but more so in the “sad” department. Admittedly, I am in the process of finishing the last half of the novel; however, from what I have read, I can attest as a reader that the novel evokes sympathy, second-hand embarrassment and sadness. Numerous characters and passages pulled on my heartstrings, and honestly, not much so far has hinted that there will be redeemable human actions or moments of joy towards the end of the novel. Such issues that lead me to this belief include the abusive family life Eunice is a product of, the overwhelmingly shallow society that berates those who are not youth-obsessed and flawless, the value of money and material over human life, and the sheer disregard and reluctance for human emotion and feeling. Eunice’s mother’s GlobalTeen messages were one of the saddest parts of the novel for me thus far – you can sense she wants to say something more, to express how much she is hurting to her daughter, but she quickly catches herself and talks about mundane or lighthearted things. “Eunhee, Today I wake up sad. But no problem! It will be OK!” (72). “Daddy promise that if he not feel well FIRST we pray together to GOD for guide us THEN he hit…I just learn how to make happy sign. Do you like it? Haha” (47). I think Eunice’s mother is an interesting character in that her personality and seemingly erratic nature can be attributed to the abuse she has sustained as a wife, the helplessness she must feel as a mother of abused daughters, and also the societal context in which she lives – a world where displaying emotions is foreign and not encouraged.
Another part of the novel which induced empathy and second-hand embarrassment from me revolved around the extremely shallow world Lenny inhabits – the Cervix bar/Form A Community (FAC) scene. While I’m not so naïve to say people do not judge others, especially in bars where many are looking for “fuckable” partners, I will argue that not everyone is so inherently shallow that there is no possibility for conversation or actual kindness to occur between people. In Lenny’s experience at the bar, however, he is labeled the ugliest male there and is fully aware of this collective female decision – and yet he stays (the horror!). I felt so uncomfortable for him and so sad that the passage was almost unbearable to read. I recalled feeling that out of place and insecure in grade school – the boys in my 7th grade class would rank the girls in our grade and essentially they decided only the 8th grade possessed attractive girls. It also made me assess the bullying situation in our country now – only accelerated by technology – and the consequences of FAC existing in a world where children are already vulnerable enough.
The final example I think is worth noting, which qualifies categorically (for me) as the value of money and material over human life, comes in the form of Aziz Tompkins – the displaced bus driver living in a shack on a hill. (Winstanley, anyone?) The handmade sign alone broke my heart: “A sunflower had been painted on it along with the words ‘my name aziz jamie tompkins I worked bus driver kicked out of home two days ago this is my space dont shoot’” (105). Aziz became displaced due to a visit from the Chinese Central Banker – such poor people could not be seen by these wealthy and powerful figures and thus are discarded as easily as carbohydrates and books. The first half of Super Sad True Love Story exhibits quite a heavy dose of sadness which – if it could get any sadder – is not so far fetched for the world’s future.
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dig1taldiva 
1.
janastasiawhydra |
November 21, 2011 at 10:19 AM
I joined the cyber-world “late” in life at the age of 21. So, I was never a victim of cyber-bullying, but this novel did open my eyes up to the world where children are seeing what adults do, emulating it on the techno-spehere, and are going to grow up wearing those app-thingies around their necks to continue the judging and bullying. But, one thing that I hadn’t thought of was Mrs. Park, Eunice’s mother. I simply hadn’t seen what you saw, but reflecting back on it I, too, recognize the passive-aggressive reaching out and attempting to make a connection between an abused spouse to her estranged daughter who may be only one of two people who could understand what she’s going through. I feel sorry that I missed it… not the abuse, but the reaching out part.
2.
Sarah's Prestigious Blog |
November 21, 2011 at 1:29 PM
Oh my God the Winstanley connection. I love that you connected Aziz to the Diggers! But yes, despite my conflicting feelings on the book a lot of it did make me sad, though not for the same reasons. I could never drum up much sympathy for Lenny or Eunice despite their backgrounds, but felt saddened by the plight of the aging generation ahead of Lenny. The descriptions late in the book of Eunice taking care of the elderly in the community and Lenny’s disgust and unwillingness to help saddened me, and the descriptions of the changing cityscape also brought me down. I think some of the best prose in the book was in those descriptions.