Oh boy, this book… I’ve heard of this book before but in name only, and so I went in totally blind to the story. Usually I look at books created by those with ‘celebrity status’ (and yes, I believe directing one of the most favorited–sans the last season–T.V. series in existence qualifies you for that) with a side-eye; I mean, these people have the means and network to publish anything even if it is awful, which, when it comes to awful celebrity books, there are plenty. So color me surprise to find a story that looks at World War II through a perspective I have never seen in literature before, namely through a Russian lens. I think that is a part of why I was so enthralled by the Nightingale as well; it’s not that there is a lack of interest in the viewpoint from the concentration camps and what was happening in Germany, but there is so much interconnections with the harrowing experiences throughout the world during this time period that it’s hard not to be enthralled by looking at it through the eyes of the French, the Russians, or the Chinese. Granted, this story is taken with a grain of salt as he added creative liberty to his grandfathers story, but there are bits and pieces that shine through as authentic nonetheless.
As far as the story goes, top notch for creativity. However there were parts that weren’t personally to my taste, however I could see the reasoning behind them. Namely, some of the thoughts we hear from the head of our main protagonist.
SPOILER ALERT
Specifically, I’m talking about how god damn horny this kid is. Now I get it, he’s a teenager who’s never had much experience with girls, but damn. Sometimes I think, there is no way he’s thinking this right now, there are so many other important things going on even if Kolya is perversely talking in his ear. But then I have to remind myself, I’ve never been a teenage boys, so what do I know? The real ‘ew’ of the situation for me though is the fact that Lev is very clearly a stand in for the author’s grandfather, and this fact is tied in from both the beginning and ending. So the author is literally writing a protagonist after his grandfather and not only talking about how horny he is, but how horny he is for his grandmother. Like I said, I understand the context, but I couldn’t get past how weird it was that he was writing about what he imagined as his grandpa.
Now even though that threw me off a bit, the world building was one of it’s strong points. The cannibals in the apartments were chilling and even the small details like library candy drew me in. Lev and Kolya’s searching at times boarded on feeling like a fetch quest in a video game, especially with the misadventures that were the first two locations looking for eggs, but it really picked up speed again when they set off for the final spot. A part of it was predictable, there was only so many pages left and you knew the eggs had to be here somehow, but the end results were nonetheless surprising; I did not expect it to all pan out because of a Nazi leader’s love for a good game of chess. Even Koyla dying was a plot point I somewhat predicted, but the closer we got to the end I was hopeful I would be wrong. Even the bittersweet ending with Vika’s return did not completely heal the loss of Kolya, I was devastated and loved their friendship more than anything else.
And that ending, oh what a gut punch! To see that not only were they not expected to succeed, but that it was all just frivolous; the fact that these eggs they risked their lives for, these eggs that were harder to find than gold, turned out to be nothing but an after thought because the colonel was able to get extra shipments from the outside. It made the whole journey in a way feel… Pointless. And not just for the reader–you can almost hear the thought rattle in Lev’s brain when he realizes they were sent on this wild chase as punishment, not for atonement.
END OF SPOILER
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Great writing if not a little raunchy at times, with likeable characters (mostly) and a unique story. f you like a story with any of the following themes, I highly suggest you give this read a try:
- Coming of age story (sort of)
- An ending with no ambiguity that tells you how everyone ends up
- A friendship where you can ask your friend to check out the shit you just took
- Bittersweet
Book rating: 4.5/5 SPOILER: Kolya ends up taking his shit and it is marvelous