A review by cody240fc
Stone Upon Stone by Wiesław Myśliwski

5.0

There's a blurb on the back of the book that talks about illuminating the balance of beauty and brutality that defines existence, and I thought that was a wonderful summation of Szymek's story. In a form that could be called naivete, Szymek tells the tale of rustic Polish life in and around WWII. The calm, relaxed lifestyle that is interrupted by mass violence and bloodshed. The good hearted gabber who takes to the bottle too often and can't be taken seriously by his neighbors. The wartime hero who kills Germans without remorse but delicately bathes his ill brother. Szymek's life is a paradox of sorts. It's a wonderful illustration of the fine line of existence.

There are so many qualities to love about this book. The nonlinear structure works wonderfully, Wieslaw's prose is beautiful, the characters are memorable- even the ones who only stick around just long enough to die. A testament to the quality of a writer is the ability to take a quiet scene and make it spellbinding to a reader. Szymek's conversation with the priest, for example. Or the scene of him bathing his brother. Or Szymek coming to terms with a quarrelsome neighbor. But this isn't just a quiet novel, Szymek's experiences during WWII are the stuff of tragedy. I guess that's just another example of the contradictions of Szymek's story.