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A review by _askthebookbug
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
5.0
| Book Review | Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead.
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"Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion." - Olga Tokarczuk.
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Originally written in Polish by Olga and later translated to English by Antonia Lloyd-jones, this book is an absolute gem. I cannot remember the last time I found a book as witty and humourous as this one right here. From the minute I flipped over the first page, I knew I couldn't rest until I devoured it. Albeit Olga has a splendid knack of storytelling, this wouldn't have been possible without Antonia's perfect translation. Imagine having to deliver all that humour in English and make the readers beg for more: Antonia is a literary genius. It's no wonder that this book won Man Booker International Prize for it has every aspect that one looks for in a masterpiece of a book.
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Janina Duszejko is a woman in her mid-sixties living in the remotest corner of Poland near the Czech Republic border. She detests being called by her first name and insists on calling her neighbours using their nicknames that she coins. She prefers living in solidarity and seeks comfort from the animals around her. From being a bridge building engineer to a teacher, she has a very monotonous routine which she enjoys with great pleasure. When her neighbour, Oddball informs her about Bigfoot's (another neighbour) murder, she feels nothing but relief. Bigfoot was a poacher and prided his ability in killing animals. The fact that he died while choking on a deer bone seems suspicious to her. Few days later couple of other bodies are discovered, each of those showing hints of being mauled by animals. Janina is also an experienced astrologer and now strongly believes that the animals are seeking revenge.
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What sets out as a normal whodunnit mystery, turns into something beyond ordinary. Olga's interpretation of characters, especially Janina's portrays her sheer brilliance. This book overflows with witty anecdotes and I absolutely loved it. Right from the beginning, Janina's personality was such a joy to read. Her frequent sessions with her ex student Dizzy during which they translate William Blake's poetry into Polish were an added bonus. As gruesome as the title may sound, this book is anything but that. There are murders but it's not something that makes one gloomy and grave. In fact, it's funnier than any of the lighthearted books I had the chance to read recently. There were so many instances which set me into fits of laughter so much so that I felt Janina's presence to be incredibly real. She shows tiny glimpses of her past in the most unexpected ways, makes friends with ease and is honest about her ailments. She often dreams of her mother and grandmother and mourns the loss of her two dogs who disappeared into thin air having left her guessing that they might be hunted. It is particularly hard to write review for a book as marvelous as this. To bring about a sense of lightness even while reading a murder mystery.
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I highly recommend this to anyone who are looking for their next read to be a remarkable one. Inspite of being the strangest novel, it does not fail to make an impression. I'm going to root out books by Olga and hope that they're as good as this one. Perhaps I have now found my new favourite author. I hope you find one in her too.
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Rating - 5/5.
•
"Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion." - Olga Tokarczuk.
•
Originally written in Polish by Olga and later translated to English by Antonia Lloyd-jones, this book is an absolute gem. I cannot remember the last time I found a book as witty and humourous as this one right here. From the minute I flipped over the first page, I knew I couldn't rest until I devoured it. Albeit Olga has a splendid knack of storytelling, this wouldn't have been possible without Antonia's perfect translation. Imagine having to deliver all that humour in English and make the readers beg for more: Antonia is a literary genius. It's no wonder that this book won Man Booker International Prize for it has every aspect that one looks for in a masterpiece of a book.
•
Janina Duszejko is a woman in her mid-sixties living in the remotest corner of Poland near the Czech Republic border. She detests being called by her first name and insists on calling her neighbours using their nicknames that she coins. She prefers living in solidarity and seeks comfort from the animals around her. From being a bridge building engineer to a teacher, she has a very monotonous routine which she enjoys with great pleasure. When her neighbour, Oddball informs her about Bigfoot's (another neighbour) murder, she feels nothing but relief. Bigfoot was a poacher and prided his ability in killing animals. The fact that he died while choking on a deer bone seems suspicious to her. Few days later couple of other bodies are discovered, each of those showing hints of being mauled by animals. Janina is also an experienced astrologer and now strongly believes that the animals are seeking revenge.
•
What sets out as a normal whodunnit mystery, turns into something beyond ordinary. Olga's interpretation of characters, especially Janina's portrays her sheer brilliance. This book overflows with witty anecdotes and I absolutely loved it. Right from the beginning, Janina's personality was such a joy to read. Her frequent sessions with her ex student Dizzy during which they translate William Blake's poetry into Polish were an added bonus. As gruesome as the title may sound, this book is anything but that. There are murders but it's not something that makes one gloomy and grave. In fact, it's funnier than any of the lighthearted books I had the chance to read recently. There were so many instances which set me into fits of laughter so much so that I felt Janina's presence to be incredibly real. She shows tiny glimpses of her past in the most unexpected ways, makes friends with ease and is honest about her ailments. She often dreams of her mother and grandmother and mourns the loss of her two dogs who disappeared into thin air having left her guessing that they might be hunted. It is particularly hard to write review for a book as marvelous as this. To bring about a sense of lightness even while reading a murder mystery.
•
I highly recommend this to anyone who are looking for their next read to be a remarkable one. Inspite of being the strangest novel, it does not fail to make an impression. I'm going to root out books by Olga and hope that they're as good as this one. Perhaps I have now found my new favourite author. I hope you find one in her too.
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Rating - 5/5.