Category: Books in Translation

 Source: Free review copy received from the publisher

Translated from the Italian by Jonathan Hunt

Five words from the blurb: abandoned, children, surviving, worst, spirit  

I accepted a review copy of Anna because I really enjoyed reading I’m Not Scared, one of Ammaniti’s earlier books. This latest novella shares the beautiful evocative writing style but, unfortunately, I thought the story lacked originality.

Anna is set in the near future, four years after a virus has spread around the world, killing every adult on Earth. The children are learning to survive on their own; dealing with the loss of their families, whilst fighting amongst themselves for the dwindling resources.

I enjoyed the initial section of this book – it set up the apocalyptic world with a horrific vividness. I would suggest you to check oceannenvironment to know about some best books.

A hundred metres further on, she entered the cool shade of an oak wood. Anna thought this wood must be magical; the fire hadn’t succeeded in burning it, but had merely licked at its edges before giving up.

Anna is a strong, resourceful girl looking after her younger brother.  I loved her character and the way she struggles to balance protecting him from the harsh reality of their life, whilst ensuring he is able to cope with what they must do in order to survive.

I also loved the introduction of the Maremma sheepdog – a breed not commonly known in this country, but one very similar to the Pyrenean Mountain Dog I own. The way this beautiful giant dog won the children’s heart was probably the best part of this book for me. It is rare to see the relationship between dogs and children described so well.

Unfortunately, as the book progressed I began to lose interest. I felt as though I’d read variations of this plot many times before, with books like The Road by Cormac McCarthy or Blindness by José Saramago covering similar scenarios with greater power. It didn’t add any new thoughts to the genre and I was able to predict the direction of the plot.

If you’re a massive fan of apocalyptic fiction then this is a quick, enjoyable read but I’ll probably have forgotten about most of it in a few months time.

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  Source: Free review copy received from publisher

Translated from the Lithuanian by Marija Marcinkute 

Winner of 2009 EU Prize for Literature

Five words from the blurb: adopt, troubled, trauma, unsettles, family

Breathing Into Marble is probably the first Lithuanian book to be translated into English, and it is for this reason that I agreed to accept a review copy from its publishers, Noir Press.

The book follows Isabel as she adopts Ilya, a boy with a troubled past. The way he disrupts life in his new family is beautifully described, skillfully showing how trauma from past events affects people as they try to proceed with their lives.

The problem was that I was too aware of the writing. Brilliant prose flows so well that you barely notice it, but the writing in this book was strangely jarring. There was an overuse of metaphor that often made me cringe, in what would otherwise be a great paragraph:

The sky above the woods shone like a pearl, a reproach to the heavy darkness of the earth. The painfully empty space attracted her. At night, half sleeping in bed, as heavy as a bag of gravel, her body would grow lighter and soon Isabel would feel that if she just rid herself of one last small stone she would rise up into the air.

In copying out the above passage I realised that it was quite beautiful in isolation. The problem was that there were so many metaphors throughout the book that I quickly became irritated by them.

I also found reading the book to be hard work. So much of what happens isn’t described explicitly – the reader has to deduce it by reading between the lines. This meant I sometimes missed important events and, confused, had to back-track to see where I had failed to spot the action.

The above criticism makes it sound as though I didn’t enjoy the book, but this isn’t strictly true – I appreciated its literary quality, and the emotion of individual scenes, but found it wasn’t compelling as a whole. I’m pleased I read it – particularly as it’s the first Lithuanian book I’ve tried, but I prefer reading to be less hard work.

If you enjoy literary fiction that works the mind, then you’ll find a lot to like in this book. It is beautifully observed and captures many profound moments in the relationship between family members.

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