Reviewed by Lianne on
A few pages into this book I already knew that I had something special in my hands; I was absolutely drawn into the stories featured in this book. When I first heard of it, I was curious to know how these various stories–the 1930s censor, young wayward men conscripted to fight in the first Chechen war, a woman who briefly became a movie star–would intersect; having read it now, I am amazed at how the author seamlessly wove these seemingly different stories from different periods throughout the twentieth century together. I would gasp in delight when a reference from a previous story would make an appearance in a later story or a story seemingly ended would be picked up at another point. I should also note that Anthony Marra does a wonderful job in bringing those various periods of twentieth century Russia to life, whether it be the socio-economic difficulties of the 1990s and now to the height of the Great Terror in the late 1930s; it really felt like I was there with the characters as I was reading their stories unfold.
What’s also really captivating about this collection of stories is the range of stories that it tells. These characters face some really stark realities, either in the past or the present (or both) and their reactions and just the emotions and conundrums they go through are just so human. I really felt for these characters regardless of how remote their life experiences are from my own; they just want to survive, to live and love without reserve or politics or fear or guilt. Often times things turn out bleak–relationships end, family intervenes (for good or for ill), the times have changed–but even the bleakest of characters have their moments of clarity and something close to contentedness, even if it’s something as small as a conversation with a fellow comrade or taking pride in their training and their work.
The writing, like A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, was absolutely stunning, perhaps even more so here. I found myself stopping a lot while reading, going back, re-reading a sentence or a paragraph, because the turn of phrase was just amazing: sometimes funny, sometimes beautiful, sometimes just achingly haunting for something the character longs for and that has already passed.
If this write-up doesn’t say too much about the book, it’s because I don’t want to go deep into spoiler territory because it’s really a book you need to read for yourself. The Tsar of Love and Techno was just fantastic from start to finish, I can’t say there was a story in this collection that I didn’t enjoy; they all had their own merits and fascinating points about them. I highly recommend checking out this book (and his previous novel)!
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 3 December, 2015: Finished reading
- 3 December, 2015: Reviewed