Customer Reviews

Stray Dog Winter: A Novel

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is rare to find a book this thrilling (I couldn't put it down) and this well written. The language is simple and evocative, the characters burst from the pages, and a sense of danger hangs over everything. Do yourself a favor, buy this book.

This is one I couldn't put down. Every paragraph of this novel was painted with his words. So beautifully crafted. I loved it! I want to see more of his work.

The writing creates the correct level of tension and the intrigue is ever present.

It reminded me of the excellent film 'The Lives of Others' about the East Germans but this one is a Soviet era tale of a misguided young man and his hapless sister who is involved in a relationship that places her and her brother in mysterious danger.

The contrast between the optimistic naiive Australian personality and the cold Soviet demeanor overshadowed by the ever present winter which unfolds with a lack of sentiment is well realised.

I felt echoes of reading Tsolkas's 'Dead Europe' - even the most sophisticated antipodeans seem to misjudge the complicated layers of culture, mistrust, prejudice and misunderstanding they confront when on the other side of the world.

Blackmail, sexual tension, art, family and other relationship tensions. Its here in a neat package and worth the read.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I really appreciate punctuation. Is this a new writing style: no quotation marks, no attributing speech to a character? It's frustrating to have to reread a paragraph in an attempt to figure out who said what.
That said, the plot is interesting and the protagonist well developed. It's just a tiring read.