Today's Read Contributor On July 31, 2025, several celebrity book clubs shone a light on Gary Shteyngart’s novel Vera, or Faith as one of the month’s most anticipated and beloved reads. The story centers on a ten‑year‑old Korean‑American girl living in a near‑future New York as she navigates a dystopian social landscape with sharp wit, emotional depth, and satirical humor.
People magazine crowned Vera, or Faith its “book of the summer,” placing it alongside standout titles such as Angel Down by Daniel Kraus and Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde. In their assessment, Shteyngart’s novel was described as “a poignant Harriet the Spy–esque delight,” highlighting its charm, intelligence, and relevance.
Critical response has been overwhelmingly positive. On Book Marks, it received a “Rave” rating based on fifteen reviews, with The Washington Post noting that what “tastes at first like a cherry‑flavored gumdrop, but it’ll burn a hole in your tongue,” while The Boston Globe labeled it “delightfully bittersweet” and “maybe even a bit of faith in the possibility of something better on some distant horizon.” Kirkus Reviews called it “a brilliant fable about childhood, and so much more, in our broken country,” praising Shteyngart’s humor, intelligence, and heart.
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In addition, coverage by the Financial Times emphasized how Vera, or Faith uses the eyes of young Vera to explore themes of identity, faith, and belonging in a polarized near‑future America. Her world reflects absurd political proposals like the “Five‑Three” voting amendment, revealing both innocence and anxiety in equal measure. The Guardian described it as a satirical child’s‑eye view of a dystopian America, blending Bildungsroman, comedy, and political allegory in ways both charming and disquieting.
Vera Bradford‑Shmulkin, the novel’s narrator, lives in a mixed‑heritage household in New York City with her Russian immigrant father Igor, her liberal stepmother Anne (“Anne Mom”), and younger half‑brother Dylan. She keeps company with an AI chessboard named Kaspie and an autonomous car called Stella, and she carries emotional weight as she tries to connect with her absent Korean birth mother, “Mom Mom.”
Her voice is precocious and observant—she logs vocabulary words, attempts social missions, and forms lists of missions like holding her family together or finding friendship. Critics praised Shteyngart for crafting a narrator whose inner world conveys both innocence and nuanced commentary on privilege, performance, and personal longing.
This is Shteyngart’s sixth novel, released on July 8, 2025, following several acclaimed works including Super Sad True Love Story and Our Country Friends. With its blend of satire and sincerity, Vera, or Faith represents a subtle yet powerful shift toward emotional storytelling and formal experimentation in his repertoire.
In summary, celebrity book clubs and mainstream critics alike have embraced Vera, or Faith as a defining novel of summer 2025. Its blend of humor, dystopian commentary, and emotional clarity through the lens of a ten‑year‑old narrator made it a standout choice among readers and influencers this July.
