10:31:11 A Matter of Death and Life, a book review

One axiom about writing literature is the shorter forms are much less forgiving than longer ones. At the extreme, it is incredibly hard, if not impossible, to write a good haiku, if one stumbles even once, as compared with the loping stride of a novel that doesn't aim for uncompromised perfection.

For this reason, A Matter of Death and Life by Ukrainian novelist Andrey Kurkov, a flyweight novel at 111 pages, testifies to the author's prowess at executing where space counts--rather like a gymnast going for a perfect 10.0 on the parallel bars--to give a rewarding, if quick, read through the familiar digs of his lovable, but crime-infested, hometown of Kiev, post-Communism.

With the right details and well-observed movement of Tolya's thoughts, the reader knows everything that matters about this marriage--it's over--in a mere page and a half!

But more than a failed marriage story, A Matter of Death and Life takes us into crime-ridden Kiev, where the fall of a police state has been replaced by "crime pays" reality. Tolya admits to knowing a number of killers, a profession, he regrets is losing its romance, becoming more about money: as in the lucrative, rising profession of "contract killer."

With signature deadpan black humor, Kurkov weaves a story turning the idea of life after death on its head. Why is the title A Matter of Death and Life, when the usual expression swaps the latter for the former (as in "a matter of life and death")?

Again, not to spoil the fun, so read this quick novel for the answer.

In sum, a great follow-on to Andrey Kurkov's Death and the Penguin, reviewed here 10:11:11. Even at its short length, A Matter of Death and Life is writing that for all its virtuous pungency, engages and moves, but not at a breathless pace. No, a Kurkov reader, no matter the length of the fiction, will relax into what becomes for many addictive prose.

A Matter of Life and Death by Andrey Kurkov, translated from the Russian by George Bird, The Harvill Press, London, 2005, 112 pp. ISBN: 1-84343-104-1

Read more ...

(click to enlarge image)

Read the story collection, The Cat at Light's End, as an ebook in these downloadable formats:

.mobi (Kindle)
.epub (most other readers)
.pdf (for PCs)

more posts

7:25:13 Le Havre by Kaurismaki
7:20:13 This Ain't California
6:27:13 The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking, a book review
5.29.13 My Linux (Mis)Adventures
5.25.13 Southern Cross the Dog, a book review
5.5.13 Russian Tumbleweed
4:16:13 "The Machine Stops" by E. M. Forster
3.26.13 Camera-rama
3.25.13 Moore's Law
3:13:13 Grocery Shopping 
2:28:13 Razor Blade in Moonlight
1:27:13 Made in Russia: Unsung Icons of Soviet Design, a book review
1:6:13 Alleys
12:9:12 White Bread, a book review
12:4:12 Update on Old-School Shaving
11:12:12 Ten Great Buys at Dollar Tree
11:6:12 My New Russian Camera
10:29:12 Leaf Day
10:2:12 The Russian Navy in New York?
9:21:12 The Righteous Mind, a book review
9:14:12 Revolution, 1989, a book review
8:23:12 Train Whistles in the Night
8:2:12 Why I've Stockpiled Light Bulbs
7:22:12 Old-School Shaving
7:16:12 Злектроника МК-52, computer de minimus
7:4:12 Ivan's Childhood by Tarkovsky
6:21:12 The Unabomber, a modern Thoreau?
6:12:12 Do the gods exist?
6:7:12 My "Retail Therapy"
5:28:12 On Taxes, We Should Go Green
5:17:12 Portland's Trash
5:6:12 The Toaster Project, a book review
4:24:12 No Seconds
4:12:12 Portland's Runaway Utility Bill
4:8:12 The Repossession, a book review
3:30:12 How I Got Published in Mississippi Review
3:18:12 Rothko
3:9:12 The End of Money, a book review
3:1:12 gutenberg.org
2:18:12 Beauty Plus Pity, a book review
2:5:12 Kirk's Castile Soap
1:29:12 Confessions of a Fallen Standard-Bearer, a book review
1:22:12 Thirst, a book review
1:17:12 My IBM ThinkPad 1999-2012
1:11:12 String Beans
12:22:11 Spiritual TMJ
12:16:11 1Q84, a book review
12:11:11 How Portland Became Portlandia
12:1:11 The Fixie
11:20:11 Camus' Insight
11:13:11 Old & Worthy
11:7:11 Life Is Tragic
10:31:11 A Matter of Death and Life, a book review
10:25:11 Dead Letter, Email Fatigue
10:18:11 Reinventing Collapse, a book review
10:11:11 Rereading Pirsig
10:1:11 The Sisters Brothers, a book review
9:26:11 The Great Stagnation, a book review
9:16:11 Coffee, The Affordable Luxury
9:12:11 The Genius of Value
9:5:11 Death and the Penguin, a book review

home