kristianamr's review
4.0
Konstantin by Tom Bullough is a moving and an evocative tale of ambition, adversity and the beauty of science. Spanning from his childhood to the birth of his first child, we follow Konstantin’s life and the moments which shaped him; which propelled his desire to unpick the seemingly impossible task of travelling into space.
Bullough’s choice to structure the novel episodically means although the events are heavily fictionalised, it felt more biographical than invested storytelling. At first, I struggled with the pace of this but each episode is so beautifully and purposefully written that I soon enjoyed Konstantin regardless of how quickly the years of his life seem to flash by.
The structure made particular sense by the end, which I won’t spoil, but Bullough successfully captures a moment the dedication and life’s work of Konstantin undoubtedly led to.
Overall, Konstantin is an enjoyable read.
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