A review by verbamatic
Sevastopol by Emilio Fraia

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Sevastopol (New Directions, tr. Zoë Perry) is a nimble, dreamlike novella of 3 stories that, to me, all had 2 ideas in common: that it is impossible to know anything about another person, no matter how much time or intimacy you share with them, and that it is impossible to go back in time to relive those moments from the past that you truly miss. 

I love the simple yet fragile way in which the stories were written. Reading the book felt like trying to trace a fine lattice or lacework in the dark - and not getting it fully, and yet finding it fine to the touch. 

This impression was due to strange deviations from the characters’ shared realities into their internal worlds, walking on the edge of dementia or reveries or something similarly oneiric. And it was the kind of soft melancholy I appreciate. 

Also, the connection to Ukraine is a bit uncanny, given the present moment. I have once visited one of the cities mentioned in the novel - Simferopol, when I’d been staying in Mariupol (sadly, not Sevastopol). And the 19th century Crimean war setting definitely harks to the current time in a strange way. 

Will I remember this book in several months? Not sure. Still, it is one of those little books that bring comfort as they envelop you in their strange little world for the short time you’re reading them.