Today's Read Contributor Gary Shteyngart’s latest novel, Vera, or Faith, released by Random House on July 8, 2025, offers a profoundly affecting and sharply satirical portrayal of a near-future America, uniquely narrated through the eyes of a ten-year-old Korean-American girl. The book has received widespread praise and was listed as a most anticipated release by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, and The Boston Globe.
The novel takes place in a dystopian New York City where young Vera Bradford-Shmulkin contends with the growing fractures of American democracy. She lives in a blended family—her Russian immigrant father Igor, her WASP stepmother Anne, and her younger half-brother Dylan. Vera’s biological mother, known only as “Mom Mom,” is large/ly absent from her life. Accompanying this family is an AI chessboard named Kaspie and a self-driving car, Stella, both of which highlight the increasing encroachment of surveillance and technology in daily life.
The novel’s genius lies in its choice of narrator. Vera is brilliantly precocious and emotionally authentic—her diary-like inner monologue, titled Things I Still Need to Know, reveals a child grappling with anxieties about belonging, parental love, societal change, and her own identity. Critics describe Vera as endearing, anxiety-ridden, and a brilliant fable about childhood, with each short, emotionally truthful chapter conveying both the weight of her world and the intensity of her inner life.
Underneath its whimsical veneer, Vera, or Faith delivers scathing commentary on the fragility of democracy. In this imagined America, constitutional reforms grant “exceptional” white citizens amplified voting power, AI systems monitor minority families, and paramilitary forces enforce censorship and suppress dissent. These chilling details draw unsettling parallels to real-world authoritarian trends, reflecting Shteyngart’s own concerns—a sentiment voiced by critics who note the uncanny resonance between the novel’s fictional authoritarianism and current U.S. politics.
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Nevertheless, the novel is not without humor. Shteyngart balances satire and sorrow through his distinctive “Russian wry” lens, combining absurdity with emotional depth. Reviews across major outlets note this as Shteyngart’s most important work yet—sharp, funny, poignant, and unrelentingly human.
Production of Vera, or Faith was swift: according to Publishers Weekly, Shteyngart wrote the manuscript in just 51 days after shifting course from an earlier project. His editor, David Ebershoff, described the result as “the book of the summer” and one of Shteyngart’s finest achievements.
Overall, the critical reception has been overwhelmingly positive. The novel holds a “Rave” rating on Book Marks, reflecting its combination of comedic brilliance and poignant social drama.
Vera, or Faith stands out not only as a potent work of speculative fiction but also as a deeply empathetic tale of family, identity, and moral courage. By choosing to tell this story through a child’s perspective, Shteyngart reminds readers that even in turbulent political landscapes, the clarity and honesty of youth can reveal society’s moral fault lines—and perhaps guide us toward hope.
The book’s layered narrative—exploring immigration, mixed-race identity, technology, and authoritarianism—resonates powerfully in today’s cultural discourse. Vera’s concerns—making a friend, keeping her family together, discovering her biological mother—stand in stark contrast to the disturbing political backdrop, amplifying both her innocence and resilience.
In merging political satire with coming-of-age intimacy, Shteyngart cements his place as one of America’s most inventive and socially engaged writers. Vera, or Faith is not only a compelling read but also a timely meditation on democracy, technology, identity, and the innocent eyes through which we might better understand it all.
