Thirty years and a million-odd sales after it was first published in Russia, Aleksandr Skorobogatov’s modern classic, Russian Gothic, has finally made its way to the English speaking world. Alas, much has transpired since the early 90s, particularly in the way we consume culture. Most notably, we’ve had so many Palahniuk/Shyamalan style twists shoved down our throats that our spidey senses can be harvested for fois gras. I’m hardly venturing into spoiler territory to say that the twist in Russian Gothic will be glaringly obvious to anyone who reads it in 2024. Thankfully, the book is much more than its now tired narrative device.
Russian Gothic is, above all, a canny and unsettling exploration of PTSD and madness. Nikolai, a young soldier recently returned from the Afghan front, gets it in his head that his wife, Vera, is cheating on him with the strange - suddenly ever present - Sergeant Bertrand. As his paranoia grows, Nikolai becomes violent and unpredictable, while Vera tries desperately to save him. Bertrand insinuates himself deeper into the couple’s lives as they hurtle towards cataclysm. It’s a tragedy of epic proportions, and achingly relevant to the current moment.
Russian Gothic by Aleksandr Skorobogatov (Tr. Ilona Yazbin Chavasse)
Rare Bird Books, 2024
124 pages
thank you for the review - I’m always loath to tell people “enjoy,” because that’s not really the word, is it?