Dimensions
128 x 195 x 18mm
As the twentieth century draws to a close, amid the ashes of the Soviet Union a Russian army doctor turned spy addresses the woman he loves - a fellow intelligence agent who has shared his shadowy life in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, but who has disappeared.
The tale he unfolds spans three generations: his grandfather, Nikolai, who deserted from the Red Army in the chaotic aftermath of the revolution; his father Pavel, who survived the hell of the Second World War only to be driven into the wilds of the Caucasus by Stalin's purges; and the narrator himself, a child of the Cold War who, even after the fall of the Iron Curtain, still has to deal with its legacy in the world's trouble spots. It is a tale of brutality, betrayal and soured dreams, yet also one of love, altruism and immense courage.
In this magisterial novel, Andrei Makine strips away the layers of ideology and propaganda to portray Russia's traumatic century through the experience of its foot-soldiers, ordinary people caught up in the movements of history. Challenging the complacency of the victorious West, this is a profoundly moving tribute to the sufferings as well as the enduring spirit of so many, and a salutary reminder that the demise of the Evil Empire has not necessarily made the world a better place.
