2017

2017 is an instantly intriguing title, not least because of its futuristic quality but also, as a Russian novel, this year is full of significance: it will be the one hundredth anniversary of the 1917 Russian Revolution, a key turning point in the country's history.

Against the backdrop of the anniversary, myth and reality constantly collide and even merge in Olga Slavnikova's novel, which was awarded the Russian Booker Prize in 2006. Slavnikova's protagonist Krylov is a gem-cutter living in the mythical region of the Riphean Mountains, working under the steely gaze of his employer Professor Anfilogov. Having recently divorced from his wife, he comes across a woman called Tanya and they embark upon a passionate love affair filled with secrecy. Krylov knows nothing of Tanya's life other than she is married. She refuses to tell him about her husband and he dutifully plays along with her game of clandestine rendezvous which brings them to all corners of the city.

The pair try to keep their movements untraceable but Krylov soon grows tired and begins to wonder whether all this secrecy and running around is really worth it. It is judicious however, since, unbeknown to Krylov, Tanya's husband turns out to be none other than his employer Anfilogov. Meanwhile Krylov's ex-wife Tamara enters the picture and it is soon clear that she will stop at nothing to win him back. Krylov soon notices a spy following Tanya and can't get rid of the unsettling feeling that he has seen the man somewhere before.

It is against this backdrop of secrecy and suspicion that an environmental disaster looms heavy in the Riphean landscape. It becomes clear that avarice, embodied by both Anfilogov and Tamara, is a key weakness of this modern dystopian world. Although it is difficult and arguably problematic to simplify the novel in these terms, there is no doubting Slavnikova's ability to question the lifestyle and values of those who place such an emphasis on desire, whether it be for wealth, power or even love.

Although certain passages are particularly detailed in their description, at no point in Marian Schwartz's translation is the reader at risk of getting lost. On the contrary, the shifting narrative styles maintain the reader's interest from cover to cover.