Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga TokarczukMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
"What sort of a world is this, where killing and pain are the norm? What on earth is wrong with us?"
People mysteriously start dying in a sleepy village in Poland. Finding herself at the center of it all is a weird lady of a certain age. Whodunit? Or, perhaps... WHAT-dunit?
This is my second Olga Tokarczuk, and I think I shall take a break from her books for a bit. I am simply not the ideal reader for her work.
I look for hope and light. There is none to be found in this particular novel. It's kind of like watching the most recent BATMAN movie: both are signs of the times we live in. The extraordinary bleakness. The despair nearly palpable in its intensity.
Over and over, Tokarczuk's protagonist describes the world and its people as "fallen," to quote Blake, and while it's an unforgettable mystery skillfully written, with a protagonist so unique and memorable, it's not a book I'd care to re-read, nor recommend to others.
There is a lot of rage in the book as well. Animal rights activists and feminists may find it rewarding.
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