A review by paulasnotsosecretdiary
Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

dark mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is an excellent title for a book that celebrates, in part, William Blake's work. The book is part mystery using an unreliable narrator trope. There are many themes packed into the pages of this story: feminism, aging, social isolation, mental illness, and animal welfare. There are many stories I have read published after this book that borrows from its tropes (and some of them are not an improvement from the source material). However, I don't get why this book is so celebrated; it didn't engage me even though I could find a way into the story. There is foreshadowing at the start of the book when the central character talks about how much she hates one of the victims and that sometimes people need to die. From there, it was just a matter of when and how she would be revealed as the killer. This is one of those times when a book is admired or wins awards, and I wonder why. Maybe if I read Blake and studied him I would appreciate this story more. A meh from me.
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