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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"I am telling you. Animals have souls."
And so begins a slow, snowy unraveling.
"Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead" is a novel that’s part mystery, part metaphysical treatise, and part character study. We follow Janina, a reclusive woman living on the edge of a remote Polish village, who becomes convinced that a string of local murders are being committed by animals—or, more specifically, as vengeance for animals.
It’s an odd, cerebral book, laced with dark humor and fierce ecological rage. Janina’s voice is at times whimsical, at others cutting, and always a little off-kilter. There’s a deep sadness and defiance in this narrator, and her worldview (esoteric, astrological, suspicious of authority) is unlike any other.
But while I admired the novel’s ideas and its elegant prose (credit to the translation by Antonia Lloyd-Jones), I didn’t feel fully immersed in the story. The plot meanders, and the characters—aside from Janina herself—felt more like symbols than people. I appreciated the literary craftsmanship more than I emotionally connected to it.
Still, I see why it’s beloved. It’s bold, weird, and unconcerned with the commonplace.
And so begins a slow, snowy unraveling.
"Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead" is a novel that’s part mystery, part metaphysical treatise, and part character study. We follow Janina, a reclusive woman living on the edge of a remote Polish village, who becomes convinced that a string of local murders are being committed by animals—or, more specifically, as vengeance for animals.
It’s an odd, cerebral book, laced with dark humor and fierce ecological rage. Janina’s voice is at times whimsical, at others cutting, and always a little off-kilter. There’s a deep sadness and defiance in this narrator, and her worldview (esoteric, astrological, suspicious of authority) is unlike any other.
But while I admired the novel’s ideas and its elegant prose (credit to the translation by Antonia Lloyd-Jones), I didn’t feel fully immersed in the story. The plot meanders, and the characters—aside from Janina herself—felt more like symbols than people. I appreciated the literary craftsmanship more than I emotionally connected to it.
Still, I see why it’s beloved. It’s bold, weird, and unconcerned with the commonplace.
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
what’s the line between killing animals that is deemed acceptable and murder that is a sinful crime? what is cruelty? this book has such unique way of seeing the world by the time i finished the last page, i feel like my world is altered too.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm just not cool enough to like this.
Not rating as I don't want to effect it's overall rating cuz of my dumb brain.
Not rating as I don't want to effect it's overall rating cuz of my dumb brain.