Genre: Thriller
Description:
This book’s elements comprise the Swedishness of the main protagonist,
Linda Strand: a travelogue aspect as we visit the cities of Kiev and Stockholm
and countryside in Ukraine and Sweden: a thriller element, which deals with exploitation
of children.
Swedish Linda Strand comes to Kiev to see her brother but he is
missing, although nobody seems very worried by this. Linda later returns to
Kiev to look for him. On her second visit, she penetrates a more dangerous
world than the one she found on her first visit and, later in the book, the
story of the children being used by the pornographers is poignant indeed.
Author:
Anna Bronislavska is a Ukrainian living in Sweden. It is interesting
that she has chosen to write as a Swede about her homeland. The results ring
very true. She has a good eye and ear for cultural specifics and she is – as
she says of herself – passionate about both countries.
Appraisal:
Most of the action takes place in Kiev, we are shown the city through
the eyes of a stranger, we see inside the museums, we share the food (a lot of
it sweet, hence the book’s title). Some of the book is set in Stockholm, where
we get a glimpse of Swedish family, professional and city life. There are
excursions into the Ukrainian and Swedish countryside.
The first half of the book proceeds at an unhurried pace, interesting characters
live their lives; they enjoy meals, visit places and friends, taking Linda with
them. It is a fine travelogue, juxtaposing the cool efficiency of Sweden and
the Swedish with the passionate underground theatre and indie-film scene in
vibrant Kiev.
Bronislavska’s writing from the points of view of the teenage boy and
the little girl being abused is very fine. A don’t ask/don’t complain attitude
comes through, which feels like a hangover from Communist days. In Ukraine,
says one character, even today it is not wise to question a disappearance. The
description of the squalor in which the children are kept is heart-breaking
Unfortunately the sum of the book is less than the interesting, individual
parts. There is rather a lot of repetition which slows the already leisurely
pace (eg ‘He made it his home. He lived here. It was his.’). Sometimes we slip
outside Linda Strand’s viewpoint to get a global view, but the ‘voice’ remains Linda’s.
I found this confusing when her ‘voice’ was applied to a villain wearing
aviator shades. Organisation of the material occasionally misled. There is a
scene in which a stranger insists on buying Linda a ticket for the theatre for
no apparent reason. They sit side by side but do not exchange a word. We do not
see him leave. It is a bizarre scene. It is
explained later in the book, but makes no sense at the time. The prologue would
have been more help at the end of the book.
At the end of the book the various strands are ably tied, but earlier
in the book the dangling ends became a little frustrating, for this reader.
FYI:
One strand of this book is child pornography. However, apart from a
graphic beating, all the abuse happens ‘offstage’.
Format/Typo
Issues:
An editor’s input to this book would have improved the reader’s
experience.
Rating: ***
Three Stars
Reviewed
by: Judi Moore
Approximate
word count: 90-95,000 words
No comments:
Post a Comment