Customer Reviews

The People's Act of Love: A Novel

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James Meek brings together a number of forces in an isolated Siberian village during the last stages of the Russian Revolution: a young mother who has lost her husband; a sect of religious zealots and their otherworldly leader; a shaman from one of the forest tribes and his albino acolyte; a force of Czech soldiers, unable to return to their newly-established country; and an escaped political prisoner, driven, charismatic, and wrapped in mystery. Meek gradually introduces several even more unusual elements into this mixture [some of which are revealed by other reviewers on this site, which is a pity]. The result is an exciting and relatively short work of fiction that defies easy categorization; history, romance, mystery, horror, politics, and even comedy combine in a quite unusual way.

I have to say, though, that it is not entirely a success. For one thing, it demands more knowledge of early Soviet history than can be expected of every reader: to understand, for example, the timeline of the defeat of the White Russians by the Reds, the history of the Russian prison camps, and the surprising presence of the Czech Legion thousands of miles from home. For another, I personally found that the presence of such diverse elements made the novel difficult to follow, or rather difficult to penetrate to the deeper levels that the author occasionally implies, as he raises questions about fanaticism, religion, and the suitability of means to ends. The cover reviews compare James Meek to Tolstoy, Lermontov, and Pasternak; this is true in that he writes well, and captures the Russian atmosphere memorably. But although Meek juggles them skilfully, themes of this scope really demand to be developed at a length more typical of his great Russian predecessors if the book is to rise above the level of a very good thriller and become a true novel as those authors would have understood the term.

*The People's Act of Love* is an extremely meaty novel, written with care and elegance. Amazingly, for a novel that touches on (among other things) a sect of castrates, a premediated act of cannibalism, and the motivations of a revolutionary bomb-thrower, its tone is restrained, precise, lucid. It's this tone of normality (as one critic has called it) that makes the unbelievable events described in this novel so believable, and that keep the reader turning page after page, eager to dive into the author's world.

What kind of world does Meek create, then? Most of the novel is set in a small town in the Siberian outback, as the Russian Revolution sweeps from Petrograd in the west to Vladivostok in the east. The revolution hasn't quite made it to this small town, which sits in a kind of political and spiritual limbo: the Czech Legion (having been contracted by the Tsar) is the presiding authority, even though at the moment the Tsar is gone; meanwhile the town's residents, who are involved in a secret mystical sect that demands castration from the men, keep their distance from the political events of the day. Disrupting this fragile equilibrium is the arrival of an escaped convict: the spell-binding and brilliant Samarin, a man who is equal parts fantasist, visionary, revolutionary, and murderer. With Samarin, Meek has created a gripping, indelible figure, one who magnetizes the whole of the novel: we shudder as we follow the trajectory of his mind, and yet we can't help but feel shivers of excitement, too, as he takes us where no sane person would ever hope to go.

In all, a beautifully-written, beautifully-troubling novel.

such as we may come across here and there in the world, is unmixed with compassion. The more we love, the more the object of our love seems to us to be a victim."

Yuri Zhivago, who uttered these words in Boris Pasternak's classic tale Dr. Zhivago, would no doubt find common bond with the setting and characters that inhabit James Meek's wonderful book "The People's Act of Love".

Most of the People's Act is set in 1919 in the village of Yazyk, in Siberia. To call Yazyk the middle of nowhere is to give it too much credit. Russia, now the USSR, is in the midst of its post-revolutionary civil war that has caused untold deaths and facilitated illnesses and famine. Yazyk's end-of-the earth location does not insulate it entirely from these events. The town is run by a stranded division of a Czechoslovakian Legion with no apparent means to return to Prague subsequent to the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Legion is commanded by Captain Matula who for all intents and purposes is both insane and sadistic. The civilians in the town consist mainly of a mystic sect of eunuchs (the "Skoptsy") who believe their self-immolation removes the one body part responsible for most of the world's sins. As far fetched as this may seem, the presence of stranded Czech soldiers and the existence of a sect of castrati inhabiting parts of Siberia is a matter of record and was not a piece of fiction created by Meek solely for this novel.

The town is also inhabited by Anna Petrovna, who appears to be a widow, and her son. The Red Army is making its way towards Yazyk and intends to seek revenge for an act of brutality committed by the Czechs. A younger stranger, Samarin, makes his way into the town. He tells a fantastic story about escaping from a Siberian labor camp. He indicates that he was fattened up before the escape by his prison `guardian', Mohican, so that could eat Samarin after their food ran out. (This tale of cannibalism is also based on real events.)

The story of each group of protagonists is woven skillfully into the narrative. Although written by a British journalist and author in the 21st-century the narrative tone has a very Russian feel to it. The sentence structure, the formality of the conversation between the characters, and a somber, fatalistic tone will resonate with anyone who has read 19th and 20th century Russian literature. This particular structure holds up extremely well as the stories of each protagonist merge and the novel's conclusion approaches.

The book's title is taken from a line uttered by one of its characters. It is a very appropriate title in the sense that despite (or perhaps because of) the macabre nature of some of the events in the novel one theme that remains constant is the question of love and what we flawed creatures do in its name. In an interview about the novel the author made the following statement: If there is one thing which the four central characters in the book . . . agree on, it is that love exists and matters. What they disagree on is what love may be.

This theme of the infinite variability of love and the horrors and selflessness transacted in its name may sound trite or too well worn a path to go down for some. However, in the hands of Meek it comes across as masterful and compelling. The People's Act of Love was one I had trouble putting down once I got past the introductory chapters. If the test of a good novel is whether or not one continues to think about the story after it has been concluded - then People's Act of Love passes with flying colors. It is a gripping yet thoughtful book and any evocations to Russian authors of the 19th-century should be viewed as a well deserved accolade. L. Fleisig

The story is set in desolate Siberia. Mother loses her husband to a religious cult and is left to rear her son during the later stages of the Russian Revolution. More than a casual understanding of the Russian Revolution is required to follow the story line which zigs and zags between various factions (the Czechs, the Reds, the Whites, the student revolutionaries, the religious zealots). The story engaged me, lost me, pulled me back in and took me back through the circuitous route again. The authors covers a lot of ground in this novel (lust, love, religion, revolution, morality, life/death, purpose) - perhaps too much in a 387 page novel.

"The People's Act of Love" by James Meek is a thrilling and surprising page-turner, situated in Siberia in 1919. Since the plot of the story is compact and full of surprises, I will not spoil the story by describing it, but instead I will give an impression of the book's atmosphere.

Through the eyes of several people present in a small town in the wilderness of Siberia, we see all the chaos and cynicism as well as dreams and aspirations of the time reflected. The characters, among which we find a mysterious cannibal, a Cavalry officer who becomes a member of a bizarre sect, a Jewish officer in the Czechoslovak Legion, and a woman with a gift for photography, may not be immediately likable, but they are certain to make a strong impression on the reader. Meek weaves the story of the meeting and eventual clash of all these characters together very well, making excellent use of evocative flashbacks, letters and monologues to create narrative tension, while maintaining at the same time a high pace of action.

The storyline is generally violent and cynical, as fits those times, and the brutal backdrop of Siberia in winter during times of shortage only serves to heighten the tension. After the various characters find themselves in Siberia, the Czechslovak Legion's presence in the area, an interesting yet historically real adventure tale, becomes the pivot around which all the events unfold. The bitterness of the cold as well as the people and their ideals portrays this crossing in Russia's history very well, and Meek has done a good job keeping the storyline actually exciting with constant surprises and plot twists. Although some of the praise on the cover must surely be taken as hyperbole, this is certainly an intriguing and riveting book, and well worth picking up to read on a lonely winter night.

NB: My review applies to the Dutch translation of this book only, as I have not read the English original. I see no reason to assume there are material differences between the two though.

While the paperback of The People's Act of Love is covered in quotes comparing it to Doctor Zhivago and Anna Karenina, the reader would be better off without such grand expectations. As a page turner, it's a first class thriller. As a work of literature, it's sly, reserved tone can't cover the outright sensationalism and melodrama that the author serves up. It's a book about lives weaving closer together in the Siberian hinterland and while these lives are fairly convincing while told separately, once the characters begin to intertwine, they seems to lose their individuality and move only as chess pieces. This is probably because Meek seeks to wrap up his book in a grand finale, with terrible characters claiming grand acts of redemption against a background of revolution and blood. Perhaps he gave himself a bit too much to chew on, and the last quarter gets weighed down by exposition as Meek tries to tie up his ends. Still, great fun getting there, but please leave the comparisons to Tolstoy behind.

"He's not a destroyer; he is destruction, leaving these good people who remain to build a better world on the ruins. What looks like an act of evil to a single person is the people's act of love to its future itself." Samarin pretending to speak of another, but really speaking of himself.

James Meek has written a marvelous story-telling in this novel. It portrays the Russian revolution in such detail you would think you are in the world of 1917. So many characters woven into effortless story lines, so that the story grabs our attention. The characters are revealed in a central figure, and we are able at last to understand the drama and the truth. James Meek attended Edinburgh University and as a journalist for the "Guardian" and "Observer" reported from Russia for ten years. He has been able to show us the horrific sights and scenes of Siberia: cruelty, murder and cannibalism. And, yet the sun shining on the snow, the love of a man and a woman; the everyday life of those who live the best they can.

Samarin, one of the main characters shows up in tiny, poor Yazyk, a Siberian community. His story is that of a political prisoner, a run-away from a horrible place in the Arctic. He has escaped with "Mohican" a guard at this prison. Mohican took Samarin with him, it seems, to eat his flesh. Samarin's story is slowly unraveled, but not before we meet the other characters. An extreme Christian sect that castrates its members so they can be called angels. A group of Czechoslovakian legions, trying to leave this God-forbidden place, led by Lieutenant Mutz. Mutz loves the earth and a woman, Anna Petrovna. Anna is the wife of the leader of the Christian sect. She is also a woman who loves men and sex, photography and her son.

All these characters and more who are puzzled about many events. They learn as we do, when the puzzle begins to fit; the meaning of the extremes of the political, the spiritual and the humanity. There are heroes and there is goodness. This is a particularly spectacular book, written by a particularly special writer.
Highly recommended. prisrob 1-24-06

I was so surprised by the reviews that I had to chime in. I absolutely loved this book. If you are wondering whether you should get this book, get it. I also really like AB Yehoshua and Orhan Pamuk, so if you like these writers, you will probably really like this book. I think it's a masterpiece and one of the best books I have ever read.

James Meek completely consciously constructed a novel, which bows towards great Russian masters, especially Dostoyevsky. "The People's Act of Love" deals with social and personal problems on a large scale, but also with the deepest, darkest corners of the human soul, dissecting the tiny emotional details many of us - including Meek's protagonists - are not even aware of.

The main plot is set shortly after the Russian Revolution, in the remote, forgotten Siberian town of Yazyk, home to a sect - based on the real sect of Skoptsy - led by Gleb Alexeyevich Balashov, and to a Czech regiment, with a cruel Captain Matula, stationed there after the fall of the Habsburg Empire. There are a handful of odd individuals, like Anna Petrovna Lukova, known a s the Widow, who one day arrived and settled in Yazyk with her son Alyosha, or Lieutenant Joseph Mutz, a Jewish Czech citizen, who feels out of place everywhere.

Somehow, in the unstable times, the unlikely neighbors manage to balance their common life in Yazyk somehow - until a stranger arrives. His name is Kyrill Ivanovich Samarin, and he claims to have escaped from the prison camp beyond the Arctic circle, known as the White Garden. His arrival coincides with other strange, scary events, and his story freezes the blood in the veins of his audience... But, soon some inconsistencies are found, raising doubts and leading to the dramatic, cathartic, absurd finale.

The plethora of full-blooded characters, emotional and realistic, the harsh setting in the snowy, cold landscape where fulfilling basic needs requires a lot of effort, and the dense, rich, painfully ironic prose make "The People's Act of Love" worth recommendation. The recollection of historical facts which otherwise might have fallen into obscurity (who has heard of the Czech army involvement in Siberia? And Skoptsy aren't exactly the hottest sect at the moment, either) adds to its value. For me, craving any novel about the remote, cold regions of Russia, this novel was a perfect read - and I believe it can be a memorable book for anyone who decides to take some time to read it. James Meek is not merely an epigone of Dostoyevsky - he managed to create a unique, magnificent, captivating story, rooted in the tradition of the Russian novel, but with a thoroughly modern edge.

I don't like writing reviews, but I felt obligated to when I saw so many tepid reviews for this great novel. I was deeply involved with these characters and have thought of them many times in the days since I have finished reading their story. There are two extreme and repugnant acts committed in this novel. Some reviewers seem to think we are not provided with sufficient motivation on the part of the characters to explain these acts. I find this ironic considering the casual arrests, executions, and incitements to war and violence that are also part of this novel and so many others, that are barely questioned. Human beings are complicated and so are their emotions. I believe that all of these characters could act as they did and still consider their actions to be acts of love.