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A review by anusha_reads
The Silver Bone by Andrey Kurkov
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
BOOK 11: THE SILVER BONE, ANDREY KURKOV, TR. BORIS DRALYUK, LONGLISTED FOR #INTERNATIONALBOOKER2024
The Silver Bone is a historical mystery, set in 1919 Kyiv, featuring power shifts, crimes, violence, and people living in fear. Samson, who loses an ear and his father early in the story, becomes a detective and tackles his first case involving the titular silver bone.
This is a rather unusual book on the long list.
In The Nose (Nikolai Gogol), the nose runs away. In contrast, Samson's severed ear possesses magical hearing abilities, allowing him to listen to sounds from afar and nearby.
It’s an easy read, and since it's a mystery, I won’t reveal much. I enjoyed it, and the translation was masterfully done.
Some Quotes from the book:
“WE ARE GIVEN EARS NOT SIMPLY TO HEAR BUT, ABOVE ALL, TO LISTEN.”
“THE ONLY WAY TO BE HEROIC, TO SAVE SOMEONE, IS TO ACT WITHOUT THINKING AHEAD. IF YOU’RE USED TO THINKING AND CAN’T HELP BUT THINK AHEAD, IT WON’T WORK.”
“ILLITERATE PEOPLE AREN’T NECESSARILY STUPID. ONE CAN LEARN TO READ AND WRITE, BUT INTELLIGENT THINKING IS ANOTHER MATTER.”
“IT’S A SHAME TO LEAD A SENSELESS EXISTENCE WHEN THE SENSE OF YOUR EXISTENCE CAN BRING SOME GOOD TO THE WORLD.”
The Silver Bone is a historical mystery, set in 1919 Kyiv, featuring power shifts, crimes, violence, and people living in fear. Samson, who loses an ear and his father early in the story, becomes a detective and tackles his first case involving the titular silver bone.
This is a rather unusual book on the long list.
In The Nose (Nikolai Gogol), the nose runs away. In contrast, Samson's severed ear possesses magical hearing abilities, allowing him to listen to sounds from afar and nearby.
It’s an easy read, and since it's a mystery, I won’t reveal much. I enjoyed it, and the translation was masterfully done.
Some Quotes from the book:
“WE ARE GIVEN EARS NOT SIMPLY TO HEAR BUT, ABOVE ALL, TO LISTEN.”
“THE ONLY WAY TO BE HEROIC, TO SAVE SOMEONE, IS TO ACT WITHOUT THINKING AHEAD. IF YOU’RE USED TO THINKING AND CAN’T HELP BUT THINK AHEAD, IT WON’T WORK.”
“ILLITERATE PEOPLE AREN’T NECESSARILY STUPID. ONE CAN LEARN TO READ AND WRITE, BUT INTELLIGENT THINKING IS ANOTHER MATTER.”
“IT’S A SHAME TO LEAD A SENSELESS EXISTENCE WHEN THE SENSE OF YOUR EXISTENCE CAN BRING SOME GOOD TO THE WORLD.”