Arkady Antonov’s father sends him to Cuba to observe negotiations around Cuba’s offshore oil fields. Before he leaves, his father bets him $10 million that he’ll never find love. He goes about trying to disprove this, and does find the woman of his dreams, Yunaisy. Do you think he’s motivated by the payout, or is he truly in love? Once Arkady confesses his wealth, Yunaisy changes, trying to meet his standards and ultimately instigating a tragic result. Whom do you blame for the way the chapter ends? Should Arkady have been honest with Yunaisy from the start, and if so, would the end result have been different?
Wow! This story confused me the most. First, while his father made the bet, I think Arkady hated that his brother was always showing him up - which prompted the bet - he’d do anything to show him up. I don’t think it was the money so much as the winning. As to Yunaisy, she was sort of a conundrum to me. I think Arkady really wanted to be loved and find love, he was somewhat blinded by her simpleness and kindness, but I sensed no one could be that good (I’m such a cynic). As to telling Yunaisy from the start who he was, no I think that was the whole point: love me for me not who I am. I was saddened by the ending but believe it showed the falseness of wealth - it can’t buy you everything. I think both Arkady and his brother got what they deserved.
Arkady’s brother was like their father. He ruined everything, and he actions were at the heart of their deaths.
I felt in the scheme of the book, Arkady drove the plot to get to the finale. The rise of Russian Oligarchs ,at that time, play into the globalization of the whole novel, but Arkady seethed with resentment for his family, especially his brother. This was a reckoning that I didn’t see playing out the way it did, but it it was a nice twist.