Kidnapped
The Story of Crimes
Ludmilla Petrushevskaya author Marian Schwartz translator
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Deep Vellum Publishing
Published:8th Jun '23
Should be back in stock very soon
In Kidnapped, a madcap crime spree unfolds, filled with twists, mistaken identities, and determined women fighting for their loved ones across time and space.
From Ludmilla Petrushevskaya, a celebrated author and a prominent figure in the realm of absurdist literature, comes Kidnapped, a captivating blend of family drama and social satire. This intricate narrative offers a humorous yet poignant exploration of the twists and turns of life, showcasing a series of unlikely coincidences and unexpected events that keep readers engaged from start to finish. The author masterfully weaves a tale that is both entertaining and thought-provoking, inviting readers to reflect on the nature of identity and the bonds of family.
Kidnapped follows the tumultuous journey of Sergei Sertsov, along with two boys from Moscow who share more than just a name. Their stories intertwine through a series of madcap escapades, as the women in their lives go to extraordinary lengths to protect them. The plot is a whirlwind of deception, featuring switched identities, forged documents, and a cast of characters that adds to the chaotic charm of the story. As the narrative unfolds, readers are taken on a journey that spans decades and continents, from the dramatic changes in Russia during perestroika to the opulence of Montegasco in the early twenty-first century.
With a rich tapestry of settings and a diverse array of characters, Kidnapped is not just a tale of crime and adventure; it is a celebration of resilience and the indomitable spirit of women who refuse to be silenced. Through humor and absurdity, Petrushevskaya invites us to ponder the lengths one will go to protect their loved ones, making this book a memorable read that resonates long after the last page is turned.
"The best novel of the year, in every page there’s more wit and talent than in the whole contemporary Russian prose, everyone forgive me. Written with much physiology, humor, the novel is at times scaring, always fascinating and precise from a playwright’s perspective." —Dmitry Bykov, the nationally-rewarded author of The Living Souls and The Evacuator "The scope is epic – the world of Petrushevskaya has no division between important and secondary events, main characters and the rest; each character is measured in scale of fate, the light from cosmos flowing equally though everyone <…> The new moment in this apotheosis of the “matriparchy” is that the great mother, the main hero in Petrushevskaya’s fiction, includes this time both mothers and grandmothers who save other’s children not only from death but also from the orphan-hood." —colta.ru "It seems, they (Petrushevskaya's characters) appear strange to us only. Petrushevskaya as the author completely believes in the story that we read as a funny soap-opera-type nonesense. What is more – the author is ready to feel sorry for everyone involved in this roll of human passions. This very inexorable love and tenderness towards her characters has always brought up a suspicion about some author’s secret knowledge." —syg.ma
ISBN: 9781646052042
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
268 pages