Reviews

Thirst by Marian Schwartz, Andrey Gelasimov, Андрей Геласимов

ttodd86's review against another edition

5.0

Probably not for eveyrone, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although it is the story of a Chechnyian war veteran, the themes are certainly universal. A very quick read.

boris_jakovlevich's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

rosof5's review against another edition

3.5

Je pense que cette lecture m'aurait marqué, aurais-je lu à un autre moment.
Un livre sur les vétérans de la guerre en Tchétchénie et la reconstruction de leur identité et de leurs cercles d'amis après la guerre.

mpdarby's review against another edition

3.0

A story about a Russian soldier badly burned during the war between Russia and Afghanistan. It was translated from Russian so this translation seemed a bit stilted. Still very enjoyable.

thuismuis's review against another edition

3.0

War-scarred Kostya and his two wartime buddies go to Moscow, looking for their lost friend. Through the vodka-blurred searching efforts, the author reveals bit by bit the accident the binds the four men together, and Kostya history.

Originally translated from Russian. Still a great short read

knit3314's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this quick read. It was like a conversation. Many social implications were highlighted in the conversation but nothing too heavy. The characters felt very real, normal but not typical. Russia seems very similar to the US in this story. I feel the writer has a special talent for telling a story about everyday life in a way that makes you want to keep reading along and beside the characters, yet never diving extremely deep into any character. Living in a time of war with soldiers returning wounded physically and mentally also added to the relevance of the story.

smihalikova's review

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

b_mcg's review

5.0

Gelasimov is able to accomplish so much with so little. The sparse language of this novella manages to weave both despair and hope in conveying the sometimes tortured, sometimes transcendent, always introspective portrait of Kostya, disfigured Russian army veteran of the Chechen front.

rosseroo's review

2.0

I enjoy literature from around the world, and I'm interested in post-Soviet Russia, but this sparse novella failed to engage me. It follows a severely scarred young man named Konstantin, who was in an APC that was blown up during the first Chechen War (circa 1994-96). He now lives a quasi-hermetic existence as a self-employed apartment renovator and sometime drunk. The story (which seems to take place sometime in the mid to late 1990s, since no one seems to have a cell phone or computer) follows him and two Army buddies as they try to track down a fourth Army buddy who has gone missing. There are flashbacks detailing his childhood, his philandering and then absent father, and the schoolmaster who nurtured his gift for drawing. But none of this held much depth or resonance for me. I suppose you could say it's a book about how one does, or doesn't, deal with the disappointments and traumas of life, but it's just too spare and thin for me to connect with.