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A review by micaelabrody
Petropolis by Anya Ulinich
5.0
Funny, sweet, melancholy, unique, touching, surprising. This is one of the $1 purchases for the ages. I loved this even through the parts that were frustrating, which are so minor as to not be listed here. The plot moved quickly, from Asbestos 2 to Phoenix to the search and subsequent location of her father, and it was tough to put down at times. I fell in love with Sasha, who is so unlikeable at times, and yet I rooted for her the whole way through. This is at once a wholly unique story and something universal: the stranger in a strange land. I am not black nor Russian, so I can only speak to the Jewish aspect, but I loved the variety of Jewish characters; no tokens nor stand-ins here.
And as a final note. Not to be That Person (which I say in a lot of these reviews), but this is one of those books that highlights the difference I often find with men and women authors. Having just finished Michael Chabon's Wonder Boys (undoubtedly a good book by most standards, just as Chabon is undoubtedly a talented writer by any standards including my own), I found myself drawn to this book so much more. It's deeply felt and equally honest in its melancholy, its pain, its discomfort, and its humor, and somehow it does this by taking itself less seriously than most books by men I've read this year. Chabon did this later with Kavalier and Clay, but in comparing these two debut novels (and not too far off in terms of publication date either), this one emerges as a winner.
Highly recommend this. I'm glad to pick up any good book for a dollar, but this one really should have been more expensive.
And as a final note. Not to be That Person (which I say in a lot of these reviews), but this is one of those books that highlights the difference I often find with men and women authors. Having just finished Michael Chabon's Wonder Boys (undoubtedly a good book by most standards, just as Chabon is undoubtedly a talented writer by any standards including my own), I found myself drawn to this book so much more. It's deeply felt and equally honest in its melancholy, its pain, its discomfort, and its humor, and somehow it does this by taking itself less seriously than most books by men I've read this year. Chabon did this later with Kavalier and Clay, but in comparing these two debut novels (and not too far off in terms of publication date either), this one emerges as a winner.
Highly recommend this. I'm glad to pick up any good book for a dollar, but this one really should have been more expensive.