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Revision as of 14:13, 10 August 2020
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This is a slim volume but it is tense, taut and has bite. The story see-saws between the 1970s and the late 1940s where much political activity occurs, (there's an understatement) but especially in Russia as far as this novel is concerned. And as we dip into the even earlier period of the 1930s, we get a glimpse of the main character, Aleksandr, as a young man brimming over with political ideology. Along with his fellow students , he fervently believed that ''The making of Communism was something sacred to us.''
Fast forward to the 1940s and Szalay tells us in painstaking detail about the meeting between the mentally ill patient, the doctor and Aleksandr. It is an intense and rather intimidating, if not frightening, meeting. The undercurrent of menace is ever -present. Aleksandr would smile and say that it was not an interrogation - but it is exactly that. But who - exactly - is being interrogated here? There are three people in the room, after all. The patient moves in and out of lucidity and when his medical history is laid bare to the reader, it's all rather sad and depressing.
On his good days, the patient somehow manages to write words and whole sentences down on paper. Even although he cannot dress himself. Some of his written entries are lengthy and seem to hint at his past life, snatches of memory appear. And in amongst all of this , he'll say ''When a doctor asks me to show him where my nose is I can't do it.''
As the reader is encouraged to reminisce along with Aleksandr we get a sense of the man, of his impoverished childhood, his illiterate parents. Life was hard. It's as if he's now, as an older man, trying to think through all of his previous actions and decisions. He seems to doubt some of them. And as the Cold War loses its relevance, its importance, it sees Aleksandr floundering, trying to make sense of the world at large. All of this thinking can send a man mad.
I must admit that I was expecting to hear more of the patient at the beginning of the novel. The book cover blurb suggests as much. But, in fact, apart from a rather brief but interesting appearance, he disappears for a good section of the book. But he does pop up at the end.
This is a haunting, impressive novel. The sentences lie heaving with meaning on the page. Szalay is not overly concerned with descriptions - unless absolutely essential to the story. The heart of this novel is all about thought, action and more thought. Even the simplest of statements are loaded with in-built meaning. Fear, doubt, the survival of the fittest are here in quantity. A reflective book, strong on politics. Recommended.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.
If this book appeals then you might also like [[Under Fishbone Clouds by Sam Meekings]]. We've also enjoyed [[All That Man Is by David Szalay]].
{{amazontext|amazon=0099515881}}
