“My own feelings towards this complexly ambivalent novel aren’t complex or ambivalent in the least. I loved it and expect others will too.”

 

NO MAJOR SPOILERS

This is the story of Andrei Kaplan. He and his older brother Dima were born in Russia but migrated to the United States when they were young. Dima returned to Russia and became a businessman. Now, Dima has to leave Russia because of some potential legal problems and he asks Andrei to come and stay with their elderly maternal grandmother , who is starting to show early signs of dimentia. Since Andrei is currently unemployed he agrees to go.

We will read about Andrei meeting friends, taking care of his grandmother, getting into local hockey games and meeting woman he cares about. He will slowly get involved in local politics, which in Russia, is never a good thing to do. How he copes with his new life in Russia on one hand, and in the other is trying to get a job back home in the US is fascinating as he is torn between two worlds.

His grandmother is a handful to care for, but also brings much enjoyment to Andrei’s life. All the characters are interesting. The book is well written, and moves along at a quick pace. This was a surprising gem of a story. It will hold your. Interest all the way through.

Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by:

Richard Franco

Added 13th September 2018

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Richard Franco