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A review by timshel
East of the West: A Country in Stories by Miroslav Penkov
5.0
I remember that something about this book caught my attention when it was first released. It was sitting on a shelf of newly released fiction at my library, and I added it to my to-read list shortly after. It has remained high on this list ever since, but in the more than eight years that followed, I failed to give it a read. I wish I'd gotten around to it sooner.
East of the West is a wonderful collection full of interesting characters, fascinating stories, and language that is beautiful but never bores. No story collection hits 100% of the time, and East of the West is not an exception, but it is one that never dips low. Every story in this collection is tied to Bulgaria, and while there are many similarities from one story to the next, each is also entirely unique.
This is a fabulous collection and I do wish I'd gotten around to it sooner if for no other reason than I'd like to have read the author's subsequent novel by now. If you're looking for a riveting and beautiful collection of stories about a country you may not know much about, this comes with my recommendation.
East of the West is a wonderful collection full of interesting characters, fascinating stories, and language that is beautiful but never bores. No story collection hits 100% of the time, and East of the West is not an exception, but it is one that never dips low. Every story in this collection is tied to Bulgaria, and while there are many similarities from one story to the next, each is also entirely unique.
This is a fabulous collection and I do wish I'd gotten around to it sooner if for no other reason than I'd like to have read the author's subsequent novel by now. If you're looking for a riveting and beautiful collection of stories about a country you may not know much about, this comes with my recommendation.