A Terrible Country

A Novel

By: Keith Gessen

Narrated by: Ari Fliakos

Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

“Hilarious. . . . To understand Russia, read A Terrible Country.”—Time

"This artful and autumnal novel, published in high summer, is a gift to those who wish to receive it."—Dwight Garner, The New York Times

"Hilarious, heartbreaking . . . A Terrible Country may be one of the best books you'll read this year."—Ann Levin, Associated Press

A New York Times Editors' Choice

Named a Best Book of 2018 by Bookforum, Nylon, Esquire, and Vulture

A literary triumph about Russia, family, love, and loyalty—from a founding editor of n+1 and the author of Raising Raffi

When Andrei Kaplan’s older brother Dima insists that Andrei return to Moscow to care for their ailing grandmother, Andrei must take stock of his life in New York. His girlfriend has stopped returning his text messages. His dissertation adviser is dubious about his job prospects. It’s the summer of 2008, and his bank account is running dangerously low. Perhaps a few months in Moscow are just what he needs. So Andrei sublets his room in Brooklyn, packs up his hockey stuff, and moves into the apartment that Stalin himself had given his grandmother, a woman who has outlived her husband and most of her friends. She survived the dark days of communism and witnessed Russia’s violent capitalist transformation, during which she lost her beloved dacha. She welcomes Andrei into her home, even if she can’t always remember who he is.

Andrei learns to navigate Putin’s Moscow, still the city of his birth, but with more expensive coffee. He looks after his elderly—but surprisingly sharp!—grandmother, finds a place to play hockey, a café to send emails, and eventually some friends, including a beautiful young activist named Yulia. Over the course of the year, his grandmother’s health declines and his feelings of dislocation from both Russia and America deepen. Andrei knows he must reckon with his future and make choices that will determine his life and fate. When he becomes entangled with a group of leftists, Andrei’s politics and his allegiances are tested, and he is forced to come to terms with the Russian society he was born into and the American one he has enjoyed since he was a kid.

A wise, sensitive novel about Russia, exile, family, love, history and fate, A Terrible County asks what you owe the place you were born, and what it owes you. Writing with grace and humor, Keith Gessen gives us a brilliant and mature novel that is sure to mark him as one of the most talented novelists of his generation.

©2018 Keith Gessen (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"This earnest and wistful but serious book gets good, and then it gets very good. . . . [Gessen] writes incisively about many things here but especially about, as the old saw has it, how it is easier to fight for your principles than live up to them. . . . This artful and autumnal novel, published in high summer, is a gift for those who wish to receive it."—Dwight Garner, The New York Times

"Excellent. . . . In its breadth and depth, its sweep, its ability to move us and philosophize . . . A Terrible Country is a smart, enjoyable, modern take on what we think of, admiringly, as 'the Russian novel'—in this case, a Russian novel that only an American could have written."—Francine Prose, The New York Review of Books

"[A] lighthearted yet morally serious novel."—Vadim Nikitin, The London Review of Books

Wonderful!

This book was an amazing listen. I forgot by the end that the voice wasn’t actually the character, and it was such a nuanced and multifaceted look at Russia in a time where we are so often forgetting about the country’s people.

Engaging. Revealing.

Engaging. Revealing. Culturally, politically and psychologically insightful. Full of heart and humanity. A young academic looking for a place to belong, an aging grandmother and a troubled country. Because of my perpetual interest in mysterious Russia (and its history), my favorite line was something about Russia being located in a very geographically and politically challenging location, being a vast country, and “barely governed.”

very cynical

i liked it. i thought the protagonist was kind of pathetic and the story overall is very cynical politically but it paints a clear and compelling picture of what i assume is a semi-autobiography of Keith Gessen. if that is the case then I'm sorry for calling you pathetic, or at least your fictionalized version of you. i won't spoil it but the main character does something very, very stupid and it results in only positive consequences for him but very negative consequences for all his friends. at least he is self aware, but really has no convictions of his own to make things right. it's depressing.

the performance is great!

Applause

A round of applause for Ari Fliakos, who does a majestic job of narrating this book- a "light" novel with such depth about Russia. Keith Gessen imparts so much information in an effortless and delightful way. A wonderful writer. Many thanks for this book.

Entertaining

Ari Fliakos gives an engaging performance, embodying the many characters in the novel, as well as the pathos, the humor, and humanity of this robust novel

Incredible Perormance

Great novel. Superior audible performance. A quick, refreshingly thoughtful read. Would recommend if you’re looking to learn some Russian history and be entertained all the while.

Daily life in Putin’s Moscow

An American of Russian origin finds himself in Moscow with the unenviable job of caring for his frail, elderly grandmother. Although he speaks fluent Rusdian, he is a stranger to life in this corner of the world. The novel humorously tells the story of how the protagonist builds relationships and a social circle, one Russian at a time.

A fine novel.

Don't want it to end

I'm about three-fourths through "A Terrible Country", and I don't want it to end. It's a great story from so many viewpoints-- as a tale of trying to make it in Putin's Moscow, a story of a grandmother-grandson relationship in which each needs the other, a story of coming to terms with life in a country not of one's choosing-- whether as a thirty-something academic or as an elderly woman whose whole world has changed beyond recognition. There is much practical wisdom and ironic humor as well. The narration is masterful-- the best I've heard in over 200 audio books I've listened to.

Fantastic

Best Audiobook I've listed to in years. Funny, heartfelt and thought provoking. If you like Ari Fliakos as a narrator (I do), you'll likely be very pleased with his performance.

A Modern Tale of Russia

A moving story about family set against the backdrop of modern day Russia. I enjoyed every single plot line of this novel—the myriad of characters depicted perfectly by the narrator, Ari Fliakos. Mr. Fliakos is an extremely talented narrator and edifies this story tremendously. Highly recommend this novel.