A cryptic, haunting novel meant to be read in this moment ... The narrator's malaise and weakening attachment to time serve as a metaphor for today's Ukraine, as well as for other struggling democracies, including our own ... A book that begs questions that are impossible to answer.
Rambling ... With a heavy overlay of metaphor. The tone is distraught rather than wry, at times oppressively so. Human bodies do more of the work of social critique than animal bodies—with the exception of the stupefying bulk of the whale ... The portions of the novel devoted to Lypynskyi’s political evolution are straightforward and lively, even inspiring.
Originally published in 2016 in Ukrainian, this translation, in light of current events in the country, offers a wider international audience access to Ukrainian voices.
Resonant ... Maljartschuk fruitfully explores themes of erasure and remembrance to meditate on what survives the onslaught of time. Fans of postmodern European literature ought to check this out.
Melancholy ... Maljartschuk has chronicled the ferment of the independence movement and its legacy, but the storytelling’s digressiveness and mood sap its force. An earnest if opaque journey into a country’s troubled past.
