On April 17, 2120, thirteen-year-old Leon Levy is home with his parents – Technion computer science professors newly famous for inventing a way to transmit digitized smells to the brain. Over lunch, Leon’s parents suddenly collapse. Minutes later they are declared brain dead by their neural implants.
One hundred years later, Leon, in his annual message to his extended family, narrates a story he has kept secret his entire adult life. The story traces the lives of his parents and their brilliant friend Sergei Kraev over a twenty year period, starting with the trio meeting in graduate school and ending in catastrophe.
Set in a future where online social trust has been restored and where Israel, Korea, and Singapore lead the world in culture and technology, The Insecure Mind of Sergei Kraev is a classic tale of love, ambition, and self-interest building to a shattering finish.
Fiction
The Insecure Mind of Sergei Kraev
September 1, 2021
Discussion Questions
Courtesy of Eric Silberstein
- The title of the novel is The Insecure Mind of Sergei Kraev. How is Sergei insecure and how are the other characters insecure? Looking back at your life, can you point to actions you wish you had taken but failed to due to your own insecurities?
- Why do people follow Sunny? What, if anything, do you find admirable in her path through life and her leadership style? Have you ever had a manager or worked with someone like Sunny, and if so, what was the culture like?
- Who deserves the most blame for the catastrophe – Sergei, Sunny, Daniel, or Karima? Who deserves the least? Could you make a reasonable argument for each bearing either the most or the least responsibility?
- The novel is set in a future where two problems we face today – conspiracy theories and computer hacking – have been solved through technology and regulatory oversight. Do you think a group like the “Board of Reality Overseers” could or should ever exist? Do you see other types of solutions emerging to bring people together around a shared set of facts?
- You could argue that Lynette is the most principled character. Do you agree with that? Why does she have a hard time persuading people to her point of view? Do you see yourself in Lynette? Do you know anyone like Lynette?
- Many scenes are set in Korea, Israel, Singapore, and Russia. Have you been to any of those countries? Do you recognize the sights, foods, and music described in the novel? What countries have you traveled to? How might the US role in the world be changed by the turn of the next century?
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