Paperback: £ 7.99
Publisher: Penguin
I was looking in the Oxfam bookshop for something to read and I saw this. I'd heard that Lewycka's first book 'A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian' was brilliant so I thought I'd give this one a shot.
The jumping around from character to character and voice to voice may take some getting used to but it's worth it. The book is written in 1st person, 3rd person, as letters and in 1st dog! I found that I really enjoyed the jumping between characters and voices. It was really interesting to see different events through different eyes and to see how different people felt about different situations and even each other.
Yes, the book centers on a sort of 'love story' between Andriy and Irina but it isn't vomit inducing. They are from different Ukraine's and their differences make their relationship enjoyable and entertaining.
There are some dark bits in this book and it is pretty rude in places so it's not one for kids or youngsters! However, there are some laugh out loud funny moments.
There are some GREAT moments:
The belief that the Milk Tray man is an English legend.
Phrases such as 'asshat' and 'Devil's asswipe'.
The image of a man who has it all as a man with 'mobilfon'.
Emanuel's obsession with 'canal knowledge'.
And the classification of people with 'good culture'.
The one bit I felt disappointed by was the disappearance of three characters when they moved back to their homeland. The sentimental part of me would have loved to have seen where their lives and futures went.
Basically, give this one a read, it's surprisingly good!
Happy Reading!
Book Geek
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