The Silver Bone

The Silver Bone / Andrey Kurkov;
trans. from the Russian by Boris Dralyuk
NY: HarperVia, c2024.
288 p.

This is the first in a projected mystery series by well known Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov. It features Samson Kolechko, a young man whose father is murdered in the street by soldiers during a time of unrest, and in the attack Samson loses an ear (which plays a role in the story later on).

It's set in 1919 Kyiv, when WWI had ended but Ukraine was a battleground of multiple factions vying for control. There are Red Army soldiers, insurgents, police and others all trying to rule. It's basically chaos. Two Red Army soldiers barge in and commandeer rooms in Samson's apartment -- it's quite large, as it had been their family home but his parents and sister are all dead now. In this way, Samson overhears some sketchy plans, reports them, gets drafted into the police force, meets a woman, solves a mystery involving a specially tailored suit and a silver bone, and sets the reader up for a series with more to come. 

I liked it; it is definitely recognizeable as Kurkov's writing, and it gives a vivid picture of a chaotic point in history. However, there were some choices that I was a little uncomfortable with, as when the characters refer to ongoing violence as the actions of "Petliura's men". I found mentioning only the Ukrainian faction a bit strange.

As for the story itself, Samson is an interesting character, a bit passive with a lot of the action just happening to him, but he does make an effort to consciously act, eventually. There is a bit of a fantastical element as well, as with some of Kurkov's other works -- in this, Samson's severed ear (which he keeps in a box) magically enables him to eavesdrop on anyone near it. This comes in handy at this point in history, especially once he begins working for the police. I also liked the parts involving the tailor and the unusual suit; the suit itself gives Samson a big clue as to who he is looking for. However, I thought the storyline was a bit farfetched and has no strong payoff in the end, but perhaps the series will improve. I'll read the next one when it's published, and then see if I will go on with it.