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With Daniel Kraus on vacation in the wilds of . . . somewhere (all I can remember is that he decided not to go to Montana, a regrettable decision if ever there was one, even if there is a new puppy involved), I’m taking it upon myself to guest-author this week’s Book Trailer Thursday. Why? Because Gary Shteyngart’s trailer for Super Sad True Love Story (2010) made me LAUGH OUT LOUD. I know I’m supposed to save the verdict for the end of the post, but I can’t help myself.

Many authors have had fun by subverting the conventional and predictable ways that authors are portrayed, but Shteyngart takes it one step further, portraying himself as an illiterate poseur who only imagines himself as a Russian immigrant. The doltish look on his face at the beginning as he strolls the aisles of a trade show is priceless and sets the tone. I’d tell you more but I don’t want to ruin it–watch it for yourself! (And don’t quit until you see the whites of Jay McInerney’s eyes.)

Verdict: Laugh-out-loud funny. (I already said that, didn’t I?) Let’s call it Woody Allen meets Spinal Tap.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 15th, 2010 at 9:00 am and is filed under Book Trailers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.