Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead takes place in a remote Polish village, where Duszejko, an eccentric woman in her sixties, recounts the events surrounding the disappearance of her two dogs. When members of a local hunting club are found murdered, she becomes involved in the investigation. Duszejko is reclusive, preferring the company of animals to people; she’s unconventional, believing in the stars, and she is fond of the poetry of William Blake, from whose work the title of the book is taken.
Filled with wonderful characters like Oddball, Big Foot, Black Coat, Dizzy and Boros, this subversive, entertaining noir novel, by ‘one of Europe’s major humanist writers’ (Guardian), offers thought-provoking ideas on our perceptions of madness, injustice against marginalised people, animal rights, the hypocrisy of traditional religion, belief in predestination-and getting away with murder.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Imprint: Text Aust
Publication date: 01/10/2018
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
By Olga Tokarczuk
Review by Claude
A fantastically thrilling fable for the modern age, Olga Tokarczuk writes one of the most exciting works to rise out of ashes of the last decade. Cozying itself neatly into a hilltop Polish hamlet far away from the watchful eyes of a scornful modernity, this novel offers an unexpected and peculiar ode to the natural world. Janina Duszejko is a cynical recluse who is thrust in to a world of crime when her two beloved dogs disappear and her humanoid neighbour is found slain in his woodside cabin. Armed with wit, some astrological divination and the poetry of William Blake, our narrator navigates an increasingly fearsome world and attempts to tackle the injustices she sees around her. This book will leave you feeling compelled and empowered, with each twist and turn offering a subtly layered critique on the hypocrisy of the world around us. There is truly something for everyone in this, I love this book!