A review by booklywookly
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

5.0

 

This was a fine case of Hitchcock-ian noir set in a Fargo-esque cold winter spread over a year. Plus that title. I bloody loved it! 

Living in a remote village on Polish border, our slightly hard boiled but poetry-loving protagonist, who is an ardent student of astrology and a dabbler in experiments on phenotypes, finds herself turn into an unwanted detective investigating a series of murders of some high and mighty town citizens on her own. The planets at the time of these deaths have aligned in such a way to have Janina convinced that animals are behind all the murders. That, and the circumstantial evidence also. But no one believes our “madwoman”, for the notion that animals are seeking revenge against reckless hunting and mindless deforestation just seems cuckoo.

But murder mystery is just a part of it. This is a meditative contemplation on existentialism coupled with sharp opinions on animal rights. Morals associated with hunting and animal cruelty are questioned and the role of church supporting “murders” is ridiculed. Just short of a proper ethical debate. 

The book is infused with sharp (and dark) humor, providing the much appreciated “fun” in the reading (we need more of that in books). Her dry letters to police offering advice and clues for the investigation are written in earnest. Her observations for people are outrageously original and constantly gave me a few chuckles. I love how she sees and explains things. Take for instance, her description of and feelings towards hunting pulpits, and comparing them with church pulpits for dispensing sermons and gospels. Wow! 

The short list of supporting characters are no less colorful and delightfully eccentric. I mean, a disgraced dentist with failing vision who sets out his practice in the open under the sun serving up vodka as anesthetic? C’mon how cool is that!

I enjoyed my time spent reading this - the writing and the translation, the message and the imagery. Constant reference to William Blake’s poetry fell flat on me since I have not read him. Ditto for the callbacks to the war between Poland and Czech Republic. Need to read more of Blake and about the war. I have Flights in my TBR and would pick it up soon. 

Petition to have Coen Brothers adapt this for a movie and have Frances McDormand play Janina.