A review by kiramke
The Cowards by Josef Škvorecký

informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I already knew Danny Smiricky, and why? Is he just Svejk, part of the consciousness?  Or just omnipresent in Skvorecky's work maybe.  He is great in that he's so unlikeable it feels moving when he approaches a truth and then tears his eyes away.  I would say it's brave to write this honestly of one's failings, except that I think Skvorecky as an elder still saw women as something just completely other.  In any case, if you blur your eyes and skim the endless pages of Irena, there's much of interest in the experience of a volatile time.