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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"The words VITA NOSTRA, or "our life," come from an old Latin student anthem Gaudeamus : "Vita nostra brevis est, Brevi finietur" or "Our life is brief, It will shortly end ...Governed by fear and coercion, Sasha will learn the meaning of the phrase "In the beginning was the word"
One of the review here wrote that this is "Harry Potter if it was written by Kafka", and someone else wrote it's "Harry Potter if it was written by Tolstoy", and I can't find a better explanation for it than that.
This is a fairy tale/urban fantasy/magical tale about Sasha, a normal girl in Russia, on a vacation with her mom to the seaside, where she encounters a strange man who starts asking her for some weird tasks, and for some reason she does what he asks of her because of some unexplainable fear. Sash is then sen with a number of other people "recruited" like her to this mysterious isntitute in the mysterious town of Torpa. They have to go theri to start their "college education" or else. They really don't want to, but their fear for their families forces them to.
Alongside the characters who really don't know what they're studying there, or what that institute is, or who are these professors, we start uncovering the mysteries with Sasha who starts a metamorphosis because of this education. Alongside the supernatural side of things, she deals with normal things like her love and fear for her mother that pushes her to do anything, the disappointments and regrets of first love, growing up and being adults and independence from one's family, and the desire to be human and feel. The main question of this novel really is "what does it mean to be a human?" Sasha is a hard-working student, and we see how is that both something in her favor and against her in that environment. What they study isn't really "magic" and it's not "technological" either. Something different and essential and related to language and words, and uncovering it was a wonderful journey.
The characters are a treat to read, besides Sasha. There is Farit, who is such a mysterious man, and Kostya, the boy who means so much more, and the mother who really broke my heart, and Yegor who broke my heart again, and Portnov, who puzzled me. The novel spans years, almost 3 or 4 years, and we clearly see how the characters evolve (or devolve) in that tome period.
It's a thrilling novel with complex ethical issues and philosophic pondering of life, humans, and their mundane lives. It's dark and unusual, a grim dark academia, about students in a boarding schools learning something we don't exactly understand for most of the novel, but we're there for the journey. This book can be considered YA because the main character is young, but it really requires some focus, because it's not complicated, but it's not easy breezy either. The translation seemed to be done with love, and even though I'm not sure I grasped everything, this book entranced me, and I'm so disappointed that I can't read the sequel rght away, because that was a pretty open ending. (From what I understand, this is part of a 4 books series, but only 1 of them is a direct sequel to this with Sasha and familiar characters, and the others follow the same themes with different characters).
I also really want to read everything that was translated into English from these two authors, because it's really rare to encounter such a unique fantasy setting.
One of the review here wrote that this is "Harry Potter if it was written by Kafka", and someone else wrote it's "Harry Potter if it was written by Tolstoy", and I can't find a better explanation for it than that.
This is a fairy tale/urban fantasy/magical tale about Sasha, a normal girl in Russia, on a vacation with her mom to the seaside, where she encounters a strange man who starts asking her for some weird tasks, and for some reason she does what he asks of her because of some unexplainable fear. Sash is then sen with a number of other people "recruited" like her to this mysterious isntitute in the mysterious town of Torpa. They have to go theri to start their "college education" or else. They really don't want to, but their fear for their families forces them to.
Alongside the characters who really don't know what they're studying there, or what that institute is, or who are these professors, we start uncovering the mysteries with Sasha who starts a metamorphosis because of this education. Alongside the supernatural side of things, she deals with normal things like her love and fear for her mother that pushes her to do anything, the disappointments and regrets of first love, growing up and being adults and independence from one's family, and the desire to be human and feel. The main question of this novel really is "what does it mean to be a human?" Sasha is a hard-working student, and we see how is that both something in her favor and against her in that environment. What they study isn't really "magic" and it's not "technological" either. Something different and essential and related to language and words, and uncovering it was a wonderful journey.
The characters are a treat to read, besides Sasha. There is Farit, who is such a mysterious man, and Kostya, the boy who means so much more, and the mother who really broke my heart, and Yegor who broke my heart again, and Portnov, who puzzled me. The novel spans years, almost 3 or 4 years, and we clearly see how the characters evolve (or devolve) in that tome period.
It's a thrilling novel with complex ethical issues and philosophic pondering of life, humans, and their mundane lives. It's dark and unusual, a grim dark academia, about students in a boarding schools learning something we don't exactly understand for most of the novel, but we're there for the journey. This book can be considered YA because the main character is young, but it really requires some focus, because it's not complicated, but it's not easy breezy either. The translation seemed to be done with love, and even though I'm not sure I grasped everything, this book entranced me, and I'm so disappointed that I can't read the sequel rght away, because that was a pretty open ending. (From what I understand, this is part of a 4 books series, but only 1 of them is a direct sequel to this with Sasha and familiar characters, and the others follow the same themes with different characters).
I also really want to read everything that was translated into English from these two authors, because it's really rare to encounter such a unique fantasy setting.
This one is sci-fi stuffed with magic and a fantastical sensibility that will put you on the hunt for more from authors Marina and Sergey Dyachenko. I confess that I was unfamiliar with the pair, but now I have to track down more of their stuff.
Luckily for me, translator Julia Meitov Hersey is working on more Dyachenko translations, according to the book's press release, but learning Russian so you can read them now is highly recommended.
Luckily for me, translator Julia Meitov Hersey is working on more Dyachenko translations, according to the book's press release, but learning Russian so you can read them now is highly recommended.
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ooof that ending. I don’t know if I’m mad or impressed. Now I have to read the sequel soon instead of the other books on my TBR. This ending may be my Villian origin story.
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was so engaging yet confusing. Think of Harry Potter and the Secret History set in Soviet-esque Russia. None of the characters were good, but they weren’t evil either; they all had their reasons I’m looking at you Lisa . The main character herself would probably be the villain of the novel if she wasn’t the central character and we didn’t have her perspective, I like that.
excellent combination of incomprehensible middle game vibes and russian lit that felt made just for me. i was getting murakami vibes sans misogyny but can’t tell if that’s just because magical realism in translation just has a specific texture.