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underdog30 's review for:
Day of the Oprichnik
by Vladimir Sorokin
This book has been compared to Fahrenheit 451, but the connection between the two books is simple. They are both dystopian visions of a country's future, and books get burned in both books. Stylistically, the similarities stem from the first person narration, but beyond that (and a few other tiny things), these books belong in separate categories. Bradbury's book was concerned with the idiotization (I know: not really a word) of American culture, mostly. Sorokin's satire sends up autocracy, nationalism, and corruption in Russian culture. I suspect that this book might have really hit home with me if I were Russian. But, being an American, I can still appreciate the satirical aspects of the book. Even knowing little about what Russian life and culture is really like, this book still resonated for me. It's not a great novel: the plot is weak and few of the characters are really well-drawn, but I enjoyed it as a warped window on modern Russia. For whatever that's worth.