Scan barcode
A review by nhborg
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
4.0
4.25
«It is at Dusk that the most interesting things occur, for that is when simple differences fade away. I could live in everlasting Dusk.»
Let’s acknowledge what must be one of the coolest book titles ever. And even better, the content inside lives up to the coolness.
I went in relatively blind but ready to enjoy an eccentric ride, and that I did. I was immediately captured by the writing; I didn’t always form clear interpretations of the ideas being seeded, but I loved the explorative space that we were allowed to wander through with such a curious writing style. There was also an impressive balance between humor and gravity, and there was always an interesting, out-of-the-box thought waiting right around the corner. Tokarczuk has such a unique literary voice that I would love to explore more of in her other works.
This story is set up as a murder mystery, but we dip into a variety of ethical, political and personal reflections and discussions on our way to the finish line. The novel transcends genres and tropes — it has something it wants to say and is not afraid to come forwards with it. A central theme is related to how we view animals and the surrounding hypocrisy and self-denial that is rooted in our culture. Other key topics are outsiderness/marginalization, morality versus societal law i.e. opposition to traditions and conventional attitudes, and the burdens of existence. The main character is also a devotee of astrology and has a worldview strongly shaped by it, giving even the stars themselves a role in the story. Speaking of, Janina Duszejko is one of the most intriguing characters I’ve encountered in fiction so far. She, with all her integrity, ambiguity and fierceness, carries the essence of the novel.
It’s obvious that Olga Tokarczuk is clever, bold and a little cheeky. There’s a lot to get from this novel, and I imagine that it’d be a treat to discuss with others. I know that there’s still a lot of depth that I could dig into, for example the inspiration from William Blake’s poetry and the socio-cultural context (i.e. Eastern European history & the relation between Poland and The Czech Republic). I can already see myself coming back to this in the future.
In conclusion: a powerful work that IMO is fully deserving of a Nobel Prize.
There are so many great passages and quotes, so I had to select a handful to showcase here:
«In a way, people like her, those who wield a pen, can be dangerous. At once a suspicion of fakery springs to mind - that such a Person is not him or herself, but an eye that’s constantly watching, and whatever it sees it changes into sentences; in the process it strips reality of its most essential quality - its inexpressibility.»
«Sorrow, I felt great sorrow, an endless sense of mourning for every dead Animal. One period of grief is followed by another, so I am in constant mourning. This is my natural state.»
«A large tree, crooked and full of holes, survives for centuries without being cut down, because nothing could possibly be made out of it. This example should raise the spirits of people like us. Everyone knows the profit to be reaped from the useful, but nobody knows the benefit to be gained from the useless.»
«We believe we are free, and that God will forgive us. Personally I think otherwise. Finally, transformed into tiny quivering photons, each of our deeds will set off into Outer Space, where the planets will keep watching it like a film until the end of the world.»
«It is at Dusk that the most interesting things occur, for that is when simple differences fade away. I could live in everlasting Dusk.»
Let’s acknowledge what must be one of the coolest book titles ever. And even better, the content inside lives up to the coolness.
I went in relatively blind but ready to enjoy an eccentric ride, and that I did. I was immediately captured by the writing; I didn’t always form clear interpretations of the ideas being seeded, but I loved the explorative space that we were allowed to wander through with such a curious writing style. There was also an impressive balance between humor and gravity, and there was always an interesting, out-of-the-box thought waiting right around the corner. Tokarczuk has such a unique literary voice that I would love to explore more of in her other works.
This story is set up as a murder mystery, but we dip into a variety of ethical, political and personal reflections and discussions on our way to the finish line. The novel transcends genres and tropes — it has something it wants to say and is not afraid to come forwards with it. A central theme is related to how we view animals and the surrounding hypocrisy and self-denial that is rooted in our culture. Other key topics are outsiderness/marginalization, morality versus societal law i.e. opposition to traditions and conventional attitudes, and the burdens of existence. The main character is also a devotee of astrology and has a worldview strongly shaped by it, giving even the stars themselves a role in the story. Speaking of, Janina Duszejko is one of the most intriguing characters I’ve encountered in fiction so far. She, with all her integrity, ambiguity and fierceness, carries the essence of the novel.
It’s obvious that Olga Tokarczuk is clever, bold and a little cheeky. There’s a lot to get from this novel, and I imagine that it’d be a treat to discuss with others. I know that there’s still a lot of depth that I could dig into, for example the inspiration from William Blake’s poetry and the socio-cultural context (i.e. Eastern European history & the relation between Poland and The Czech Republic). I can already see myself coming back to this in the future.
In conclusion: a powerful work that IMO is fully deserving of a Nobel Prize.
There are so many great passages and quotes, so I had to select a handful to showcase here:
«In a way, people like her, those who wield a pen, can be dangerous. At once a suspicion of fakery springs to mind - that such a Person is not him or herself, but an eye that’s constantly watching, and whatever it sees it changes into sentences; in the process it strips reality of its most essential quality - its inexpressibility.»
«Sorrow, I felt great sorrow, an endless sense of mourning for every dead Animal. One period of grief is followed by another, so I am in constant mourning. This is my natural state.»
«A large tree, crooked and full of holes, survives for centuries without being cut down, because nothing could possibly be made out of it. This example should raise the spirits of people like us. Everyone knows the profit to be reaped from the useful, but nobody knows the benefit to be gained from the useless.»
«We believe we are free, and that God will forgive us. Personally I think otherwise. Finally, transformed into tiny quivering photons, each of our deeds will set off into Outer Space, where the planets will keep watching it like a film until the end of the world.»