Reviews

A truly brilliant evocation of the psychology of oppression from the unofficial poet laureate of Albania. The titular story is a novella based in Albania, and the remaining two short stories are based elsewhere, but also deal with the mindset of totalitarianism. It is always worth recalling the extraordinary danger of the leader or government with excessive power, and the coercive ways they can manipulate their citizens to turn against one another with distrust and even savagery. Far from being immune to this technique in democratic countries, every day we see the invocation of "us versus them" as a method of control a potentially disruptive populace. These are important cautionary tales.

wooorm's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

dukegregory's review against another edition

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3.0

Two novellas and a story, really. I'm not as invested in Kadare when he's in his totalitarian allegory mode, but I do really enjoy the second novella here, The Blinding Order. Kadare's prose curates an atmosphere: omnipresent dread, subconscious betrayal, erotic discomfiture, unresolvable powerlessness. The titular novella is too short and anticlimactic, though the psychological consideration of life as a political object in an authoritarian regime proves rich and specific yet timeless and beyond place. The Blinding Order is the gold standard here. Kadare's interweaving of the contemporary and the arcane always strikes me in its precision. He writes prosaic fables. "The Great Wall" is a nonevent. The recognition of warring groups having very dissimilar logics for perpetual warfare amuses, but Kadare doesn't bring as much insight as he normally does.

kirstenfindlay's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

thebookishepicure's review against another edition

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dark hopeful informative tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

smc15's review against another edition

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challenging slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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