Paperback, 274 pages
Published Oct. 18, 2019 by Fitzcarraldo Editions.
In a remote Polish village, Janina devotes the dark winter days to studying astrology, translating the poetry of William Blake, and taking care of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Her reputation as a crank and a recluse is amplified by her not-so-secret preference for the company of animals over humans. Then a neighbor, Big Foot, turns up dead. Soon other bodies are discovered, in increasingly strange circumstances. As suspicions mount, Janina inserts herself into the investigation, certain that she knows whodunit. If only anyone would pay her mind . . .
A deeply satisfying thriller cum fairy tale, Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead is a provocative exploration of the murky borderland between sanity and madness, justice and tradition, autonomy and fate. Whom do we deem sane? it asks. Who is worthy of a voice?
Neither the plot nor the characters were interesting to me. The writing is nice and I liked some of the Blake quotes but I'm sure I won't remember this book a year from now.
The back of the book said it's a thriller but even thought the narrative revolves around a murder mystery, what was really captivating about this tale is the main character. There is nothing truly like her: A vegetarian old lady, a weirdo that never ceases to surprise the reader by exposing new, strange, sides to her. It with the force of this magnetic leading persona that Tokarczuk - like Yuki Urushibara, Monica Bryne and a few other writers of our times - succeeds in discussing one of the main issues of our time - namely, man's relation to nature and the harm he inflicts on it. It is done in a tone that is just the right amount of preachy and somber, but is also humorous and light at times. Brilliant piece.
Left any possible spoiler content to the past paragraph. so you can stop before then.
Tokarczuk novel starts off with a loud knock on the door, a visitor, and in a hurried shuffle the discovery of a neighbours body in his home: a local hermit, poacher, and dog abuser whom our protagonist has a distinct dislike of. From there a interesting murder mystery unfolds exploring the relationships between a small community bordering the Czech Republic in Poland and the human and animal relations.
Our protagonist from the begin presents as an unreliable narrator, an elderly vegetarian woman with poor social skills, a strange naming convention for people in her life, an almost fanatical devotion to Astrology, and a passion for William Blakes Poetry which the novel derives its title from. I found myself both sympathetic to her and at odds with her stories, as we see the world through her …
Left any possible spoiler content to the past paragraph. so you can stop before then.
Tokarczuk novel starts off with a loud knock on the door, a visitor, and in a hurried shuffle the discovery of a neighbours body in his home: a local hermit, poacher, and dog abuser whom our protagonist has a distinct dislike of. From there a interesting murder mystery unfolds exploring the relationships between a small community bordering the Czech Republic in Poland and the human and animal relations.
Our protagonist from the begin presents as an unreliable narrator, an elderly vegetarian woman with poor social skills, a strange naming convention for people in her life, an almost fanatical devotion to Astrology, and a passion for William Blakes Poetry which the novel derives its title from. I found myself both sympathetic to her and at odds with her stories, as we see the world through her eyes, with her perceptions and biases disjointing our perception of what is happening in this little community.
Presented as a subtle backdrop to the narrative is that our protagonist has lived through Polish communism and the influence of the Soviet Union which through shreds of details such as workers hostiles and land management practices you witness snippets of a world and context which has known more than one form of authoritarian governance.
In contrast to the ruminants of soviet economic and social planning, the small towns Catholicism plays as an element that grates against our protagonist and her friends as they explore and inquire into the murders that the novel centers around. the push/pull of religious conservatism and rural madwoman left me siding with our protagonist but also left confused by how she has skewed my perception of all of the events of the book.
All in all, I found the book a short, good read (200 pgs.) which kept me engrossed from it's disjointed world building through this womans lens, murder, inquiry, and a central theme of the ethics of human relations with animals. Definitely pick it up if you're looking for something to reboot your desire to read a book and you aren't sure where to start again.
SPOILER*******
Truly this was a really engaging read, which by it's conclusion reminded me vividly but with the loosest ties of the John Wick films due to the nature of seeking out to revenge for the death of dogs companions. I would recommend it, short and smart.
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
https://www.ebooks.com/en-ca/book/209541808/drive-your-plow-over-the-bones-of-the-dead/olga-tokarczuk/.https://www.ebooks.com/en-ca/book/209541808/drive-your-plow-over-the-bones-of-the-dead/olga-tokarczuk/.https://www.ebooks.com/en-ca/book/209541808/drive-your-plow-over-the-bones-of-the-dead/olga-tokarczuk/.https://www.ebooks.com/en-ca/book/209541808/drive-your-plow-over-the-bones-of-the-dead/olga-tokarczuk/.