Our Country Friends

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Background

Social Context: The COVID-19 Pandemic

Our Country Friends is set against the backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020. The virus is the catalyst that brings the group of characters together on Senderovsky’s estate and keeps them there for six months. While the virus lurks in the background for much of the novel, it makes its appearance in Part 4, ultimately leading to the death of Vinod Mehta. Throughout the novel, the author explores the impact the pandemic has on people through the everyday lives of the characters; the text also takes up the themes of loneliness and isolation caused by the pandemic lockdowns. COVID-19, an infectious respiratory illness, was discovered in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, before spreading across the world in the early months of 2020. Because the virus could easily be transmitted before it was detectable, significant measures were taken globally to stop the spread of the virus. This was to prevent huge spikes in positive cases that would overwhelm hospitals and other medical facilities.

The impact these measures had on everyday life was severe: “The pandemic also spurred a revolution in business and education, spawning a reliance on distance learning and work-at-home arrangements and the rise of videoconferencing platforms such as Zoom” (“COVID-19,” Britannica). Lockdown measures and strict social distancing kept people isolated in their homes, shutting down schools and businesses. As a result, communication and socializing were forced onto online platforms or limited to small bubbles of people who gathered and isolated together to keep safe, like the one featured in the novel. Because the events of Our Country Friends take place during the early stages of the pandemic, not much of the videoconferencing wave is seen outside of Masha’s work and Dee’s preparations for fall classes. However, the isolation aspect of quarantine is on full display with the bubble at the House on the Hill.

Social Context: Upstate New York

Although it is a trend that began before the pandemic, 2020 and the years following saw a mass exodus of New Yorkers who left the city for upstate New York and the surrounding areas. This is largely a result of the pandemic, since the virus is more likely to spread in densely populated cities. The exodus in 2020 represented a stark change in normal migration patterns from the city: “New York City’s population plunged by nearly 4%—more than 336,000 people—during the pandemic’s first year as residents migrated to less dense areas in nearby counties and neighboring states” (James Dean, “Pandemic Prompted Exodus from New York City, Gains Upstate,” Cornell Chronicle, 2022). While the people leaving the city spread across the Northeast to smaller towns and cities with more space and a lower cost of living, one area that saw a significant influx of city dwellers was upstate New York.

This migration pattern is explored in Our Country Friends as the group at the House on the Hill, comprised of wealthy city dwellers, struggles to coexist with the local townspeople. These struggles may be attributed to the fact that many people coming from the city have higher socio-economic status and tend to lean more liberal than residents of more rural areas. This divide is explored in the novel with the comparisons of the houses (townspeople) and the estates (city dwellers) in Senderovsky’s neighborhood as well as the many conservative political signs that pop up in neighbors’ yards over the course of the novel. Additionally, many characters notice in their passing interactions with the townspeople a disdainful look from the townspeople, as they are discontent with the influx of city residents changing the makeup of their town.

Authorial Context: Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) is a Russian playwright and short story writer of renown and influence in the literary world. His writings exert a great influence on the characters of Our Country Friends, such as Vinod, who reads Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, the play later performed by the Actor and the other house guests. Additionally, Chekhov’s work influences the novel as a whole, with the plot and characters sharing some of the more notable themes of Chekhov’s oeuvre. Chekhov is best known for his use of Chekhov’s gun, which is the notion that “every element introduced in a story should be necessary to the plot” (“Chekhov’s Gun,” Britannica). In Our Country Friends, Vinod’s novel and the black pickup truck both function as Chekhov’s guns, with each’s role in the novel slowly introduced throughout the novel until their dramatic and consequential reveals.

Chekhov is also known for his style:

He was a literary artist of laconic precision who probed below the surface of life, laying bare the secret motives of his characters. Chekhov’s best plays and short stories lack complex plots and neat solutions. Concentrating on apparent trivialities, they create a special kind of atmosphere (“Anton Chekhov,” Britannica).

Much of Our Country Friends follows the group of characters as they work through the everyday drama of their lives. They are living through consequential times, but are removed from the action, with the horror of the pandemic and the police violence in the wake of the murder of George Floyd diluted by the time it reaches them. It is through their everyday actions and decisions that the drama of the novel is built up, resulting in major events, such as Vinod’s death, caused through seemingly inconsequential actions such as kissing Karen.