Dear Great Book Guru, I had so much fun this week at Sea Cliff’s very own Dining Alfresco! On a select few Wednesdays in July and August, Sea Cliff Avenue is closed from Main to Summit and Village restaurants take to the street. The spirit is great, with families and friends gathering outdoors to share delicious meals and sweet camaraderie. Someone that night mentioned a short novel with a young narrator and set in a dystopian future. It sounded interesting - thoughts?  Alfresco Dining Fan

Dear Alfresco Dining Fan, VERA, OR FAITH by Gary Shteyngart is a fascinating tale of a family finding its way in the United States of 2030. The narrator is Vera Bradford-Shmulkin, the ten-year-old Korean Russian stepchild of a Mayflower descendant. Throughout the novel, Vera is feverishly at work trying to keep her family intact. Her father is the publisher of a political magazine he is trying to sell to a Rhodesian billionaire; her stepmother is leading a movement to prevent passage of an amendment limiting voting rights; her young brother seems to have first place in her parents’ hearts…and – yes - her birth mother is missing. Meanwhile, Vera is dealing with the childhood angst of learning how to fit into a system that does not esteem her intellectual prowess and is suspicious of her “otherness.”  While often an unreliable narrator, Vera is an extraordinarily sensitive and empathic character and when she finally resolves the mystery surrounding her early childhood, she and the reader are greatly relieved. A very moving yet frightening tale of what the future might hold - highly recommended!