Reviews with content warning for Violence - Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

I have no idea how to rate this book, I've never read anything like it before. I wouldn't say I loved reading it but it made me want to force other people to read it just so we could talk about it! I really don't want to spoil anything but I will need to keep thinking about this one.

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laurenleigh's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

If I had to pick one word to describe this novel, it’d be “weird.” It’s a kind of weird that, as the first chapter title suggests, makes you pay attention. Why are all these random words capitalized? Where are we? Who is this narrator? Some questions get answered, but plenty do not. It was overall a very unique experience, unlike anything else I’ve ever read. Though it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, I totally understand why it’s won so many awards. The murder mystery plot line seems to be highlighted in many reviews, but I think that part of the story is by far secondary to the heart of the novel. The brilliance of Tokarczuk is in how she meticulously highlights and expands upon the unspoken but important tiny details of life, aging, and nature. She finds these moments or emotions that we all experience and hits the exact right words to describe them, again in a totally singular fashion. My favorite observation of hers was of “Anger.” How it sparks a blaze within that immediately brightens a path and makes everything seem crystal clear, but then when it burns out, you’re left with a cold void which grief or sadness almost inevitably fills. If you’re in the mood for something completely different, pick this up!

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kmaller's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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sneako's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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mettenikkessen's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really enjoyed reading this book, even though this is not the genre I typically search for when reading. I liked the atmosphere of this little town in the mountains in Poland and it was really easy to picture this person and story unfolding in this background. It was amusing to read the book from the point of view from the main character, due to her strong and unique views about the world and about nature/animals/astrology. Although this book is a little scary I found myself laughing a lot of the time due to the way it was written and due to the strangeness of the main character. I would recommend this book if you are into thrillers but are looking for something different with a hint of nature and fantasy.

I also enjoyed the way language was used, but this might be something that is different depending on the translation you've read. This is one example of the many great passages in the book:
"Je hoorde gesnuif maar het was niet duidelijk of dat door de kou kwam of doordat die kerels werkelijk tranen in hun ogen hadden gekregen, die, toen ze daar geen uitweg vonden, naar hun neus waren gelopen"

*Heb deze review in het Engels geschreven omdat ik eerst alleen de Engelse versie van het boek gevonden had.

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