This book is classified as scifi, but it is only notionally so. It is set in an unspecified near future. America, through a series of bad economic and political decisions, is on the verge of complete collapse. It is fighting an unwinnable war in Venezuela, and all civil liberties are largely suspended thanks to the “American Restoration Authority”, an extended National Guard which runs the domestic scene brutally. The American dollar is worthless, and an alternate currency, called the Yuan Pegged Dollar, is the only one used. International relations are also abysmal, with only Italy having any meaningful relations with the US.
Youth is revered, and social media reigns supreme. Reading is frowned upon, and literacy is at an all time low, and the only industry which even exists is retail. People spend most of their time on an äppärät, a sort of mobile augmented reality device which is not adequately described in the book, and use it for everything from online shopping, communication, consuming news and media, and even identifying people, their net worth and fuckability.
None of the above is explicitly stated, though. All this is what the reader has to infer from between the lines of the story, which is essentially told in alternating chapters from the diary of Lenny Abramov, and the social media (GlobalTeens) account of Eunice Park. 39-year-old Lenny falls hopelessly in love with Eunice, and works hard to a future life with her, while she just sees him as a meal ticket, and is very conflicted about it.
The story is depressing on so many fronts, and none of the characters or side characters are even remotely likeable. The people are all awful in their own way, and the world could not possibly be worse. It took me forever to finish this book, after several aborted attempts and breaks. It is not an easy read, and beyond a point, I found myself reading it only to get it over with. The writing style and world-building, such as it is, is interesting, but I would not recommend this book.