by Olga Tokarczuk
translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
Published: 2019
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Genre: Mystery, Literary, Poland
Hardback: 288
Rating: 5
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First sentence(s):
I am already at an age and additionally in a state where I must always wash my feet thoroughly before bed, in the event of having to be removed by an ambulance in the Night.
In a remote Polish village, Janina devotes the dark winter days to studying astrology, translating the poetry of William Blake, and taking care of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Her reputation as a crank and a recluse is amplified by her not-so-secret preference for the company of animals over humans. Then a neighbor, Big Foot, turns up dead. Soon other bodies are discovered, in increasingly strange circumstances. As suspicions mount, Janina inserts herself into the investigation, certain that she knows whodunit. If only anyone would pay her mind...
My two-bits:
LOVED this. The story touches on serious issues in a playful way with its tough-old-lady character to champion the horrors of our world.
Got me interested to add William Blake to my reading pile.
* part of Man Booker International Prize 2019 challenge (here)
* monthly theme: True Crime, Hunger, Horror, Harassment
