It’d be remiss to focus on the hurried ending, which feels out of character with the rest of the book, as it’s clear the entire novel is one which deals with the creation and ending of a relationship with an already demented person (country?) - but it felt like a let down. Perhaps it was meant to be representative of how Life is full of fleeting relationships - the building of which, as with Andrei’s Russian cohort as well as with his grandmother, often takes far too long and can crumble as quickly as it takes for ill chosen words to tumble from our mouths.
All in all a fascinating look at life in the Russia of the recent past through the lens of a recently emigrated Russian-American. It’s well worth 10-12 hours of your time to digest and enjoy.