THE RUSSIAN DEBUTANTE'S HANDBOOK

Russian-born Vladimir Girshkin has done most of his growing up in America. At age 25 he’s far from settled. He juggles girlfriends, expenses, job boredom, and suburban parents, moving from scheme to scheme. One of these schemes lands him in Prava, the sparkling city of the fictional Republika Stolovaya. There he finds all kinds of illicit entrepreneurial opportunities, especially when he moves into the personal favor of the Groundhog, a mob boss. Vladimir’s string of new exploits progresses despite his ignorance of the culture he is operating in. Adam Grupper emphasizes the satiric humor of the novel but can’t manage to breathe life into the flat characters. S.W. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2012]