Reviews

Poartă-ți plugul peste oasele morților by Olga Tokarczuk

Only show reviews with written explanations

nitaantony's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

3.75

*DRIVE YOUR PLOUGH OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD*
*Author:* Olga Tokarczuk
*Genre:* Literary Fiction - Mystery
*Moods:* Informative✓ Reflective✓
*Pace:* Medium✓

*Overview:*
Originally published in Poland in 2009, Olga Tokarczuk’s - *Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead* follows Janina, a strange recluse who resides in a remote Polish village near the Czech border.
She’s a caretaker for summer homes left unoccupied in the dead of winter, and spends her days studying astrology and translating the poems of William Blake.

She had two dogs as pets but they both went missing.
One day, her neighbour Big Foot, a frequent hunter, is found dead in his home by Janina's friend Oddball. From Janina and Oddball's inspection of the scene, it seems Big Foot choked on a bone while eating. Janina also finds a shocking photograph in Big Foot's house, the contents of which are revealed in the penultimate chapter.

When her neighbors start turning up dead, Janina stokes a theory that local wild animals are seeking out revenge and killing the very people who hunt them.

*Observation:*
Here, the detective plot is juxtaposed with Janina’s astrological predictions and metaphysical ruminations on the future of the natural world (animal life) - and the lengths one will go to be the voice for the voiceless.

Written in beautiful prose, it's for sure a literary treat.
But I am not a big fan of the author's story telling. I didn't find it engaging.
Even though the story didn't sit well with me, I have to admit that the author's writing is so powerful that it made me feel close to nature; feel for the animals.
The message conveyed through the book is definitely thought inducing.

*Quote of Interest:*
"Anger makes the mind clear and incisive, able to see more. It sweeps up the other emotions and takes control of the body. Without a doubt Anger is the source of all wisdom, for Anger has the power to exceed any limits.
Sometimes, when a person feels Anger, everything seems simple and obvious. Anger puts things in order and shows you the world in a nutshell; Anger restores the gift of Clarity of Vision, which it’s hard to attain in any other state."

P.S. *The novel was shortlisted for the 2019 International Booker Prize.*
*Tokarczuk was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature.*

*My Rating: 3.8/5*

*****