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marko68's review against another edition
5.0
A border is both very real and highly abstract. On a globe, countries are neatly defined, often in different colours, like pieces in a puzzle. In reality, the land mass is continuous: there are no borders in nature, just transitions. It is people who have divided the world up into different colours, separated by lines on the map. P40/41
With an area of 17 million square kilometres and a 60,000 kilometre border, a massive melting pot of countless ethnic groups and nationalities, disparate terrains and multiple histories, Russia doesn’t seem to subscribe to the cliche that ‘size doesn’t matter’.
Journeying for a mammoth 259 days, Norwegian writer, Erika Fatland, has authored an absolutely fascinating book, navigating the border around Russia, getting a sense of what it is like to live in a country that shares a border with this colossal neighbour. While she travelled what would be the longest border on the globe, she also created the longest ever book title to go with it: The Border: A Journey around Russia through North Korea, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Norway and the Northeast Passage.
This was an absolute fascinating read. Fatland has a writing style that flows beautifully and in some sense reads like a travel narrative. Yet the book is so much more than a travel book. For me it was a profound insight into the psyche of the entire area of the world. Through interview, conversation, visiting far flung places and delving deeply into the histories of the regions, Fatland has created an insightful almanac of the impacts, influences and impositions of living and being so close to this monstrosity. The impacts are very real. One only has to look at how maps have changed over the last hundred years to see the impact on the shape of the countries making up this vast area. Fatland epitomises this when she writes:
“And none of the countries I had travelled through were without wounds or scars left by their neighbour, Russia. For centuries, the smaller countries and peoples, in particular, had been ground between the millstones of power, torn by wars between the major players, and pulled here and there. Nations have no collective memory; nations have no healed wounds. It is the individuals, millions of them, who carry the scars.” P580
One significant standout for me was an anecdotal interview with Dato Vanishvili, an ordinary Georgian man who woke up one day to discover that the Georgian border had been moved north of his land and that he was now in self proclaimed republic, South Ossetia. “All my life, I have lived in Georgia, and now suddenly I live in South Ossetia….. they do not accept my money… once a month I sneak over the fence to get my pension on the Georgian side…” P319
I can highly recommend this book to anyone who has a love for geography, an interest in geopolitics, and a penchant to understand the many peoples who live along this border and the histories that they are collectively bearing witness to. 5 stars.
With an area of 17 million square kilometres and a 60,000 kilometre border, a massive melting pot of countless ethnic groups and nationalities, disparate terrains and multiple histories, Russia doesn’t seem to subscribe to the cliche that ‘size doesn’t matter’.
Journeying for a mammoth 259 days, Norwegian writer, Erika Fatland, has authored an absolutely fascinating book, navigating the border around Russia, getting a sense of what it is like to live in a country that shares a border with this colossal neighbour. While she travelled what would be the longest border on the globe, she also created the longest ever book title to go with it: The Border: A Journey around Russia through North Korea, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Norway and the Northeast Passage.
This was an absolute fascinating read. Fatland has a writing style that flows beautifully and in some sense reads like a travel narrative. Yet the book is so much more than a travel book. For me it was a profound insight into the psyche of the entire area of the world. Through interview, conversation, visiting far flung places and delving deeply into the histories of the regions, Fatland has created an insightful almanac of the impacts, influences and impositions of living and being so close to this monstrosity. The impacts are very real. One only has to look at how maps have changed over the last hundred years to see the impact on the shape of the countries making up this vast area. Fatland epitomises this when she writes:
“And none of the countries I had travelled through were without wounds or scars left by their neighbour, Russia. For centuries, the smaller countries and peoples, in particular, had been ground between the millstones of power, torn by wars between the major players, and pulled here and there. Nations have no collective memory; nations have no healed wounds. It is the individuals, millions of them, who carry the scars.” P580
One significant standout for me was an anecdotal interview with Dato Vanishvili, an ordinary Georgian man who woke up one day to discover that the Georgian border had been moved north of his land and that he was now in self proclaimed republic, South Ossetia. “All my life, I have lived in Georgia, and now suddenly I live in South Ossetia….. they do not accept my money… once a month I sneak over the fence to get my pension on the Georgian side…” P319
I can highly recommend this book to anyone who has a love for geography, an interest in geopolitics, and a penchant to understand the many peoples who live along this border and the histories that they are collectively bearing witness to. 5 stars.
jon_mckenney's review
4.0
Super ambitious and I think she nails it. Does exactly what it sets out to do-- travel through the 14+ countries that border RU. Sometimes she would seem to lose the central question ("What has Russia's impact been on her neighbors?") and just drift into telling us about the country's current affairs and history. Like with all books of this length, she repeats herself frequently. Strongest sections/ most interesting had a lot of overlap, in particular DPRK and Ukraine's chapters. I think Finland and Norwegian sections were not stellar. At the end, when she starts to muse that "Russia will not survive and will inevitably fracture" was a weird conclusion and seemed to slip into some classic Russo-phobia. All in all, great read.
rysack's review against another edition
4.0
An absolute epic of a historical travelogue (really leaning into the history component), covering 14 fascinating and troubled parts of the world. Fatland delves deep into what makes each country, what their drive and relationship is with each other and Russia, and how they got to where they are.
It is very readable, but obviously very long. There were times when facts flew in one eyeball and out the other, and there were times where I was gripped, leaning into the places I’d visited.
I’m looking forward to Sovietstan, and braving her newest High.
9/10
It is very readable, but obviously very long. There were times when facts flew in one eyeball and out the other, and there were times where I was gripped, leaning into the places I’d visited.
I’m looking forward to Sovietstan, and braving her newest High.
9/10
tanja_alina_berg's review against another edition
4.0
En fantastisk reise rundt Russland sin lange grense. Mye historie på en lett-fattelig og engasjerende måte, samt dags-aktuelle hendelser. Erika er en fantastisk forteller og et menneske jeg gjerne ville hatt som veninne. Anbefales!
mairiwalker's review against another edition
5.0
This is my dream book. I loved the mix of historical and political context with Erika's observations and experiences.
(I read it in English, but somehow added the Norwegian(?) version on Goodreads.)
(I read it in English, but somehow added the Norwegian(?) version on Goodreads.)
primesinister's review
4.0
A hefty read, as long and winding as Russia’s border. I don’t tend to read a lot of travel books, but this helped me fill a lot of knowledge gaps about the Eastern European/central Asian countries, and also highlighted a lot of international politics that don’t necessarily make it to my attention on this side of the globe.
maritindgul's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75