Words leave imprints in your mind like footprints in the sand...
1990s -2000s: While the book does not paint Russia in the most appealing light, it is a great atmospheric novel of the dangers and duplicitous nature of a city undergoing drastic change and the people who are seduced by it. Great descriptions of the weather and the places – very evocative!
A 30 year old English man is corrupted and seduced by the new Russia and the opportunities it will bring him. He’s an expat – sent from London to Moscow and before long he gets involved with Masha and Katya in more ways than one. A corruptible man in one of the most corruptible country in the world at that time.
In the snow of Russia, both bodies and secrets may lay buried…
There are some very evocative descriptions of place e.g. of the Moscow river –
Such descriptions will immediately transport you into the novel entirely since they are so visual! And as for the snow, the snow which covers crimes and makes ugly events look good is useful to describe place as well as other things in the story. Snow drops for example refers to the number of bodies that float up to the surface of the rivers when the ice and snow start to melt showing how the best kept secrets also come up to the surface. The overall effect is a story about how Russia works (or doesn’t ) as a newly capitalist country told as a confessional love story.
If you are a fan of Russian history and culture then this places you right there.
