Dina Rubina do the impossible - to connect three different genres: a fascinating and at the same time almost Gothic novel about puppets and the puppeteer, pulling together the poles together history and art, family and psychological drama of a detective, tracked from the bright memories of children and youth to mature gray hair.The novel tells the story of the dolls, and allows you to immerse yourself in the mystery puppeteer... And this has its own mystery, its genius, an incredible artist who has been born thanks to incredible mixture of tribal blood. In general, the question of genius (sometimes bordering on the incredible way Degeneration) - one of the basic work of Dina Rubina (sounding another early novel, "On the sunny side of the street").
Passion, and here, "rip" heroes. A man and a doll, doll puppeteer and rebellious, a man like a doll - in the hands of fate in the hands of the Creator, in subordination of family heredity? - Is deep and multidimensional metaphor turned author of a variety of faces, not deigning to straight-line analogies.
The story is on behalf of Dr. Boris Gorelik (family friend), and on behalf of the author. The action now and then is moved from Jerusalem to Lvov, from Lviv to Sakhalin, from Sakhalin in Samara, from childhood through today. Heroes go to a Russian to Polish, then mova, then a simple English (especially delightful this stylistic game!).
The book is full of colorful characters. Old Jewish Khan, narrowly escaped being shot and live till to old age, now tells the story of my life ringing (puppet) voice Thumbelina, affecting surrounding the mysterious external imbalances. Silly Basia - Polish girl, a lifetime spent as a laundress in the war saves in his underwear wheelbarrow Jewish children, condemned to death. The one-armed father Petit - trickster Romka (such eternal being from the underworld. He rogue, the destroyer ... "), and in fact disabled, alcoholic brawler and a fighter all his life and tormented at the same time admired her son. Teddy Vilkovsky - Lysine vicious father, who lost her mother in the cards. And Lisa herself, nervously unstable beautiful girl, is still reminiscent of teen redhead beast. And Peter? Grivasty Injun, with an aquiline profile and pulled his ear (with the one earring he clung additional thread for driving puppets) ... And, of course, the mysterious creature Ellis - seemingly a small copy of Lisa's, like, totally subordinating them both.
Skill as a literary "painting" Rubina, landscape and portrait, as always - to the mark: if you eat a delicious slices of sweet air, and gasp with delight.
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Syndrome of Punch by Dina Rubina at Russian Book Store
Michael Herman - a well-known art historian, researcher of culture, the author of over forty books, including "Paris School" and "The Impressionists". The Elusive Paris is book about a man wandering inside the Russian culture-changing "times and spaces" of the city-dreams: the real historical characters, the heroes of books and even art, long familiar to every Russian reader, come to life here because of memory and imagination of the author.
