Stephanie Jane recenzis The People's Act of Love de James Meek
An intense swirl of characters and lives
5 steloj
I picked up The People's Act Of Love in a charity shop expecting a probable three star read and was happily surprised to absolutely love the book! Although it is set in Siberia, this is my eighth Scottish read for the Read Scotland 2015 Challenge so I have officially achieved the Highlander level I hoped to attain. It is (just) still only July though so I think I will upgrade to The Hebridean and try to find another four by the end of this year.
The People's Act Of Love is an intense swirl of characters and intertwining lives set against the bitterly cold and hostile environment of Siberia in the aftermath of the First World War and during the Russian Revolution. An army of Czechoslovakian soldiers are trapped holding the railroad they have won, desperate to go home, but forced to remain by the pride of their leader. A …
I picked up The People's Act Of Love in a charity shop expecting a probable three star read and was happily surprised to absolutely love the book! Although it is set in Siberia, this is my eighth Scottish read for the Read Scotland 2015 Challenge so I have officially achieved the Highlander level I hoped to attain. It is (just) still only July though so I think I will upgrade to The Hebridean and try to find another four by the end of this year.
The People's Act Of Love is an intense swirl of characters and intertwining lives set against the bitterly cold and hostile environment of Siberia in the aftermath of the First World War and during the Russian Revolution. An army of Czechoslovakian soldiers are trapped holding the railroad they have won, desperate to go home, but forced to remain by the pride of their leader. A solitary male prison camp escapee appears out of the snow after many days walking. A lone widow and her son are struggling to make something of their lives despite the attentions of several men who seem only to let her down. And there is something really not quite right about the villagers of Yazyk.
This is very much a book about small acts and connections. Huge world-changing events are happening offstage so to speak, but Meek concentrates on how individual decisions can affect more than just a single life. I loved his prose and his way of implying so much more than is said. For example, at one point the widow, Anna, spots a one-shoed soldier limping as the regiment marches by. 'You lost a boot' she says. 'No', he answers, 'I found one.' That image of one of many soldiers, far from home and without even his own boots, really struck me.
Anna is a fascinating creation and proof that male authors can convincingly write female characters. I was also intrigued by the shifting realities of Samarin, the man from the prison camp, and by Meek's portrayal of the religious fervour of the villagers. They are Christians and it was interesting to be presented with extremists in this faith when the modern media tends to only offer up examples of other faiths as fanatics.
The People's Act Of Love is very Russian in its style and pace although it does manage to mostly avoid the confusing patronymics! I can appreciate that this won't be a book for everyone, but I loved it.