I’m always intrigued by books that I struggle to grasp on first reading, and probably rate them higher than I should for mystery-value. But I never seem to read them again to obtain that perfect understanding. I think it’s because I’m afraid I’ll go over it again and still not get it.
This book was like that. It is so incredibly different to what I expected that I seriously struggled to get my teeth stuck into it at first. Bizarre Jewish shtetl life in 1790’s Russia; first class butchery of the english language by a plucky Ukrainian modern-day translator and tour-guide; awful German atrocities of WW2. This multi-story playful pastiche is a brilliant contrast of tales, all leading to their own tragedies. By page 50, I was back onboard and finally starting to put the pieces together. By 135, I was fascinated by the relationship of Brod and the Kolker. By 185, the creepy tale of Augustine and the lost Trachimbrod village was emerging. It was full scale horror-fest by 225. I’ll say no more, but it was a sad, sad, book, which I hear has been recently made into a movie. 4 stars!