Is Sukhanov an unreliable narrator? Looking back, I’d say yes. The narrative switches up without warning from third person to first person and it works magnificently. One minute Sukhanov is living his cushy life, the next he’s entire being is overcome by the force of nostalgia and regret. The past is always lurking right there ready to claim us. You never really knew what was going to happen next as this Soviet official wandered around 1980s Moscow in a fog, dipping in and out of reality, and creating some very amusing scenes with those around him. The world of Sukhanov was highly addictive. I was hooked pretty quickly by this strange tale and found myself impatient to get back to it whenever I had to put it down. She has a style that’s hard to describe descriptive, blunt, and lush. Once I got used to it, I loved Grushin’s writing. This paranoid, dark, twisted, funny and moving novel enthralled me.
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