Jachym Topol
1994
Around 515 pages
Ugh, I'm so sick of that cover. I'm usually a fast reader, which you might have picked up on, but this was an absolute slog to get through, and this sat next to my bed for a long time. This is another work that is just hard to get into if you are not part of the culture. Although it seemed like it was pretty much the Czech A Clockwork Orange, and I didn't like that either, so maybe it was always a lost cause.
It's hard to summarize this book. Basically, it's the rise and fall of a young man in Czechoslovakia in the years following the fall of communism. I really hate hallucinogenic or dream sequences in novels, which is one of the many reasons this narrative rubbed me the wrong way.
Another "I guess you had to be there" novel, I didn't really get much out of the setting or historical context. Hopefully, something good will pull us out of this soon, 1994 has been rough!
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
Because of his father's dissident activities, Topol was not allowed to go to university.
UP NEXT: Pereira Declares: A Testimony by Antonio Tabucchi
No comments:
Post a Comment