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A review by sidekicksam
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Janina Duszjeko lives reclusively, almost at the border of society. She's very much into Astrology, predicts people's future date of deaths based on the location of the planets on the moment of birth, and is generally considered... colourful. When one of her two neighbours dies and the other asks her to help dress him before his body stiffens, she sets in motion a series of peculiar events that affect the people around her..
This book is an interesting character study, with vivid world-building and a witty pen to add a little extra dazzle. The first scene is set in mid-winter Poland, which was such a different vibe from the sunny weather I was reading it in, that I almost DNF'ed it to finish it in the winter time. In the end, I was happy I stayed on this weird ride of a book, because I giggled multiple times at the character of Janina and her quirks. The plot is predictable, but I did really enjoy reading it.
My favourite passage:
It's hard work talking to some people, most often males. I have a Theory about it. With age, many men come down with testosterone autism, the symptoms of which are a gradual decline in social intelligence and capacity for interpersonal communication, as well as a reduced ability to formulate thoughts. The Person beset by this Ailment becomes taciturn and appears to be lost in translation. He develops an interest in various Tools and machinery, and he's drawn to the Second World War and the biographies of famous people, mainly politicians and villains. This capacity to read novels almost entirely vanishes; testosterone autism disturbs the character's psychological understanding. I think Oddball was suffering from this Ailment.
This book is an interesting character study, with vivid world-building and a witty pen to add a little extra dazzle. The first scene is set in mid-winter Poland, which was such a different vibe from the sunny weather I was reading it in, that I almost DNF'ed it to finish it in the winter time. In the end, I was happy I stayed on this weird ride of a book, because I giggled multiple times at the character of Janina and her quirks. The plot is predictable, but I did really enjoy reading it.
My favourite passage:
It's hard work talking to some people, most often males. I have a Theory about it. With age, many men come down with testosterone autism, the symptoms of which are a gradual decline in social intelligence and capacity for interpersonal communication, as well as a reduced ability to formulate thoughts. The Person beset by this Ailment becomes taciturn and appears to be lost in translation. He develops an interest in various Tools and machinery, and he's drawn to the Second World War and the biographies of famous people, mainly politicians and villains. This capacity to read novels almost entirely vanishes; testosterone autism disturbs the character's psychological understanding. I think Oddball was suffering from this Ailment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Murder