A review by emma_victorian
The Memory Artist by Katherine Brabon

3.0

This exploration of the value & worthlessness of memory, of past trauma within late C20th Russian society is interesting. It is a fascinating historical era & culturally rich country but being written by an Australian academic who'd only visited Russia once made me a little uneasy. It was almost like a novel written by a robot who has digested a lot of original source material but you do wonder if it quite hangs together. Much of the backing & forthing of the protagonist between 1989 and 1999, between St Petersburg and Moscow, between two dreary relationships, not sure what to do with himself was difficult to engage with and his deliberations rather ponderous and pretentious. However it made me curious to know more & while already lauded with a Vogel, it'd be good to see this writing mature & sharpen.