OUR COUNTRY FRIENDS

Rob Shapiro deftly narrates this Chekhovian study of Sasha, a Russian-American writer; his Russian-American wife, Masha, a psychiatrist; and their precocious 8-year-old adopted daughter, Natasha. The couple invites two longtime friends to shelter in place at their upstate New York country estate in the early days of the Covid pandemic. The guests are Karen, a Korean-American app developer and Vinood, an Indian-American aspiring writer, as well as Karen's cousin, Ed; Sasha's former student, Dee, a Southern essayist; and a famous actor. Shapiro subtly shapes each character's voice as he illuminates their day-to-day activities and concerns. While this novel contains many elements of a comedy of manners, its impact is elevated by skillful presentations of the challenges facing first-generation Americans, as well as the bond that develops between the childless Karen and Natasha. M.J. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2021]