Lake Success by Gary Shteyngart

OK before I get into the book review - How freaking fun is this video?  #booktube

As for the book.  I am a sucker for stories that involve a physical journey that accompanies an emotional one.  Barry Cohen takes such a trip on a Greyhound bus in a desperate attempt to escape his many many problems ranging from his autistic son to the failure of his hedge fund and is just certain that the answer lies in a good old-fashioned return to his roots via a road trip across America with no Black Amex or cell phone to buffer his experience.

The journey was hilarious as Barry's myopic view of the world from a position of extreme wealth

gets shattered over and over again yet he remains undeterred.  I mean, who wouldn't want an inner city charity teaching kids about the value of collecting watches as an investment. Right?  I kept waiting for Barry to have the 'aha' moment that the audience experienced when they figure out what Barry's problem really is - but the frustration of him continually glossing over it actually propelled the book forward

Meanwhile back at home, his wife, Seema and autistic son, Shiva are on a parallel journey which the author mirrors in a poignant way to show the differences between the way that both characters perceive their lives and their paths.

If you have read my reviews in the past, you know that endings are usually my sticking point, but, in this case, I liked the ending because the characters were still very much themselves at the end but they were comfortable with being who they were and there is so much beauty in that kind of conclusion.

Special thanks to Gary Shteyngart, Random House Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for this review.  It was an enjoyable ride.