A review by thebookofbanana
The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Giovanni Drogo lived a life devoid of meaning. He did not live a happy life; he never reached the milestones necessary as his peers did. He never married Maria, the woman he loved, he never travelled, nor had much of a career to be proud of, not had any children to carry on his albeit small legacy. He never escaped the fort or it's delusions either.

Nothing major happened in his life to give it any real significance. He spent his life chasing an image of a supposed major event, only for it to be taken from him the moment it seemed real.

Yet, the whole time his soul was nourished by the hope that one day this climatic event would give his life meaning. 

As he begins to pass, he realises his past hopes pale in comparison to the hope he needs at his death, the hope that he can be brave enough to accept his mild life and to truly face the prospect of his death. 

And he does it. He goes bravely like the hero he always wanted to be. He goes alone, in a foreign place, with no support, moral or physical. This took the most bravery for Drogo. 

(Hope is powerful, especially in uncertainty).