Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
…people like her, those who wield a pen, can be dangerous.
One of my standout reading experiences last year was the discovery of the marvellous Polish author Olga Tokarczuk; I read and loved her Man Booker International prize-winning “Flights”, in the wonderful translation by Jennifer Croft, and it got special mention in my end of year round up.
Her novel “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead”, an earlier work, also came out last year, rendered by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, so I was of course very, very keen to read it.
We left the house and were instantly engulfed by the familiar cold, wet air that reminds us every winter that the world was not created for Mankind, and for at least half the year it shows us how very hostile it is to us.
Set in a remote Polish village, near the Czech border, “Plow…” is narrated by Janina Duszejko. A woman in her sixties, she lives in this bleak region on her own, caring for her neighbours’ houses while they’re away for the winter, and caring as well for the animals in the area. Duszejko is a woman with an interesting past – she was previously an architect, involved in the building of an important bridge, but now works teaching English to children, reading the stars and casting horoscopes, and helping her young friend Dizzy to translate Blake. But Duszejko is at odds with the traditional world around her; she is in conflict with the local hunting club, and this extends to a general clash with traditional Polish values; as she states at one point quite baldly,
For some time I shared my bed with a Catholic, and nothing good came of it.
The book opens with a death; one of few neighbours Duszejko has who stay out the winter, Big Foot, is discovered having choked on a bone. And the deaths continue, as members of the local hunting club are gradually picked off. The authorities favour a conspiracy, with mafia involvement, as these men are known to have been high flyers. Yet Duszejko thinks differently. These men were hunters, viciously cruel to animals, and she’s convinced the latter are taking their revenge. Naturally, the authorities dismiss this as the theories of a cranky old woman; but Duszejko is adamant, and tries to persuade her group of misfit friends, including her other neighbour Oddball, Dizzy, Good News from the local thrift-style store and Boros, a visiting insect specialist. But what is the truth?
Winter mornings are made of steel; they have a metallic taste and sharp edges. On a Wednesday in January, at seven in the morning, it’s plain to see that the world was not made for Man, and definitely not for his comfort or pleasure.
However, “Plow” is more than just a murder mystery; it takes in all manner of issues, from animal cruelty (perhaps the dominant theme) through the hypocrisy of organised religion, the shifting borders of countries, the stars and predestination, the misogyny meted out to older women and society’s treatment of outsiders, misfits and the marginal. Duszejko is constantly met with disbelief or anger as she tries to make her point and much of this is because she’s female.
My belief (is) that the human psyche evolved in order to defend us against seeing the truth. To prevent us from catching sight of the mechanism. The psyche is our defence system – it makes sure we’ll never understand what’s going on around us. Its main task is to filter information, even though the capabilities of our brains are enormous. For it would be impossible to carry the weight of this knowledge. Because every tiny particle of the world is made of suffering.
As with “Flights”, “Plow” is a brilliantly written book which touches on all these deep subjects yet keeps you completely hooked. Tokarczuk’s writing is the kind where every sentence matters; you find yourself pausing regularly to consider what you just read and the meaning behind it, and each new development alters your perceptions (a very Blakeian touch). The book’s title is drawn from William Blake, a recurring presence in the story, and the bones of the dead are ever-present; most often in the form of suffering animals, but there is the human death too and I was reminded that we can all suffer and die in the same way, whether man or beast. Throughout the story Duszejko suffers all manner of unspecified ailments which colour her life and appear almost psychosomatic at time, brought on by events around her; another way of emphasising our connection with the world. She’s also regularly visited by her death mother and grandmother, and at times her connection with the real world seems slight.
At night I observe Venus, closely following the transitions of this beautiful Damsel. I prefer her as the Evening Star, when she appears as if out of nowhere, as if by magic, and goes down behind the Sun. A spark of eternal light. It is at Dusk that the most interesting things occur, for that is when simple differences fade away. I could live in everlasting Dusk.
Despite this being what appears initially to be a straightforward narrative, albeit one constantly laced with sadness and also dark humour, Tocarczuk’s distinctive voice soon draws the reader into the web of Duszejko’s mind and it’s a very complex one. She has a shifting, unsettling voice, often hinting at events which took place in the past, rather than coming straight out with facts – for example the loss of her beloved dogs isn’t given explicit explanation until much closer to the denouement. Is Duszejko an unreliable narrator? Probably – hers is a very particular viewpoint and her individuality is emphasised by touches like the use of capitals for particular words where you aren’t expecting it, another Blakeian element, and one which the latter apparently used to ascribe importance to particular parts of his writings. Similarly, objects and people are given names more appropriate to how they are than their actual names, which adds another layer of dislocation and strangeness, highlighting the slight dislocation of this little world on the borders.
The language is beautiful, often hypnotic, and the natural world takes pride of place in the narrative. I think there’s probably a lot of symbolism in the book I might have missed and it certainly demands another reading. I did start to grasp some of where the book was heading as it went on, so the eventual denouement wasn’t really a surprise; but I don’t imagine Tokarczuk expected it to be, as her take on the murder mystery format is very individual!As I gazed at the black-and-white landscape of the Plateau I realise that sorrow is an important word for defining the world. It lies at the foundations of everything, it is the fifth element, the quintessence.
As well as Duszejko, Tokarczuk presents a beautifully drawn supporting cast of characters. The little group of misfits around the narrator became like personal friends and it was actually a wrench to leave them behind as the book closed. The hunters were just revolting and I found myself, of course, in total harmony with Duszejko’s outlook; in fact, I found myself questioning her eating of cheese, as I do feel with her love of animals she should have been vegan, not just vegetarian! The outcome is perhaps controversial; well, I say perhaps, but I believe the book caused some uproar in Tokarczuk’s native Poland; I guess if you attack deeply ingrained traditions that’s what happens, but I would stand side by side with Duszejko and the animals against the hunters.
How wonderful – to translate from one language to another, and by doing so to bring people closer to one another – what a beautiful idea.
“Plow” is another deeply moving, completely involving and thoroughly original book by Olga Tokarczuk, and I could have pulled out so many more quotes than I actually have. I can’t thank her translators and publishers enough for making her work available in my language, and I reckon that this one will also end up in my books of the year round up in December. Tokarczuk is an author of originality and stature, and “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead” is a masterly work that should be required reading if we want to try to turn the state of our world around. Highly recommended!
Review copy kindly provided by Fitzcarraldo Editions, for which many thanks!
Marina Sofia
Feb 01, 2019 @ 07:39:27
I am dead keen to read this one, just missed out on getting before my ban this year, so I may have to wait a while. Or else get someone to give it to me as a present. Your lovely, enthusiastic review confirms that Tokarczuk is one to watch!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Feb 01, 2019 @ 10:04:50
Thanks Marina! And yes – I really do recommend this one, so if you can get someone to gift it to you, I would! I was so pleased to find that Tokarczuk was just as good here as with Flights, so I really want to read more.
JacquiWine
Feb 01, 2019 @ 08:20:20
Great review, Karen. It does sound very good – rather existential in nature, which gives it plenty of depth. I’m glad this lived up to expectations for you!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Feb 01, 2019 @ 10:03:37
Thanks Jacqui! Yes, a very profound and thought provoking book, and compelling – I really couldn’t put down!
Jane
Feb 01, 2019 @ 15:04:28
This sounds wonderful, a completely new writer for me thank you!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Feb 01, 2019 @ 15:43:59
She was a new author to me until she won the Man Booker International, but I’m so glad to have discovered her. The two books of hers I’ve read have been utterly wonderful!
heavenali
Feb 01, 2019 @ 16:24:43
This sounds excellent, it would seem the author has a very individual approach to the murder mystery type story, and given it her own little twist. I heard so much praise for Flights last year that she is very much on my radar.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Feb 01, 2019 @ 20:57:28
She’s definitely an author worth reading, Ali, particularly if you want to explore women in translation. Both of her books are very distinctive, which I love, and so thought provoking.
heavenali
Feb 01, 2019 @ 21:02:22
I am definitely tempted though trying not to add much to my tbr.
madamebibilophile
Feb 01, 2019 @ 18:51:47
I just bought Flights last weekend and you’ve definitely encouraged me to pick it up for my next read! She sounds such an individual writer.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Feb 01, 2019 @ 20:54:28
“Flights” was marvellous, and so was this. Quite different books really, but very individual and both obviously came from the same author despite the differing subject matter. I’m awfully keen to read more! 😀
1streading
Feb 01, 2019 @ 19:38:37
Really enjoyed reading your review – I’ve read this but didn’t have time to write about it. I think I may even have preferred it to Flights.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Feb 01, 2019 @ 20:55:24
Thanks Grant! I wonder how I’d feel if i’d read this one first? I love them both, definitely, but perhaps in different ways. Her writing is just so good.
Izzy
Feb 02, 2019 @ 10:47:05
Thank you for this review of an author I hadn’t heard of, and which gave me so much food for thought. The “misoginy meted out to women over 50” felt so topical at the moment as fifty-year-old French writer Yann Moix has been in the spotlights recently after giving an interview to Marie-Claire in which he declared it would be impossible for him to be in a relationship with a woman of 50: “too old”, he said, “the body of a 25 year-old woman is something magnificent”. He went on to add that he was mainly attracted to Asian women (the right word should actually be “Asiatiques” but I understand that the word is offensive in English, for some reason that eludes me. He didn’t mean Indian or middle-eastern women).
Then, there’s the question of vegeterianism and veganism, which has been troubling me for some time as I fail to see how eating cheese, or even eggs for that matter, is in any way cruel to animals.
Anyway, the book is going straight to my wishlist !
kaggsysbookishramblings
Feb 02, 2019 @ 14:59:03
Yeah, I get pretty cross about the inequality – why are older men allowed to get away with this, and why are older women just ignored and treated as semi invisible. It sucks.
As for veganism,. this is probably not the place to discuss it as I might get worked up, and my focus on the blog is on books and sometimes documentaries and ideas. Also, others can put it much more rationally and less emotionally than I would. However, a few things:
1. I disapprove strongly of impregnating cows against their will (you could call it rape) and then stealing their calves for food (which causes them trauma) and then stealing their milk – all against their will and when they’re kept in vile, factory farm conditions.
2. Cow’s milk is for baby cows and not baby humans – human milk is for the latter. The number of allegies and intolerances to cow’s milk should prove this, and there will be plenty of info online about the negative effect of dairy on humans.
3. An egg is a potential chicken, it’s the product of an animal, and since very few chickens are allowed to live naturally eating their eggs is to me part of the cruelty they suffer daily.
I reckon Simon Amstell’s film “Carnage” (which I haven’t felt strong enough to watch, but which my vegan Middle Child lauds) would probably be much more informative. It’s here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04sh6zg
Suffice to say, I am vegan for life.
Izzy
Feb 02, 2019 @ 18:17:07
Having spent much time on my grand-parents’ farm as a child I can reassure you that an egg that hasn’t been fertilized by a cock cannot become a chicken :-).
kaggsysbookishramblings
Feb 02, 2019 @ 18:54:15
Indeed! But as it’s the product of an animal I’m much happier without it!
bookbii
Feb 02, 2019 @ 14:36:59
Lovely review. I adored Flights, in fact Fitzcarraldo are the publisher I’m most likely to break my book buying ban for, and this sounds marvellous. I’m glad the book met your expectations as, selfishly, I think that means it will also meet mine. Worth waiting for.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Feb 02, 2019 @ 14:50:38
Thanks! Fitzcarraldo have such a wonderful looking list, don’t they? I do hope you enjoy this – I thought it was just wonderful! I’d hate to encourage you to break you ban, but….. 😉
Resh Susan @ The Book Satchel
Feb 03, 2019 @ 04:08:31
Glad you loved Olga’s work so much. I’ve been meaning to read both of Olga’s books back to back. I am more keen on finishing Flights now. But I think I will follow it up with Plow
kaggsysbookishramblings
Feb 03, 2019 @ 07:58:45
I do indeed love her books, and she’s an author I could very well end up being completist about. Both are marvellous – different, but with the same voice , if you see what I mean. I do hope you enjoy them!
gina in alabama
Feb 04, 2019 @ 16:13:42
I want to read Tokarczuk’s Primeval (1997) which has been translated into English by Antonia Lloyd-Jones (2010). There are some enticing reviews on the Amazon page as well as a good segment of the text in the Kindle preview.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Feb 04, 2019 @ 16:19:18
Ooooh, tempting…. That’s the thing about discovering a new-to-you author – a marvellous back catalogue to explore! 😀
Simon T
Feb 04, 2019 @ 19:20:18
Well, I love Fitzcarraldo editions, and this sounds great, but I think the themes of animal cruelty and attacking organised religion mean it is very unlikely to end up on my tbr – but will look out for other things she’s written!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Feb 04, 2019 @ 19:59:17
I’ll admit to being a bit nervous of the animal cruelty bits but they were pretty much manageable and also essential to the plot. As for the organised religion – I won’t go into that, because it relates to a branch that isn’t yours I think but is one I have closer everyday contact with. I’ve got my own views and I’ll leave it at that. But I think you should perhaps explore Flights, because she really is a marvellous author!
Max Cairnduff
Feb 05, 2019 @ 10:53:01
Flights was my favourite book of last year, so I’ve already bought this (Foyles in London has an absolute mountain of signed copies for some reason). Still, a marvellous review of what sounds like a marvellous book.
I’m still not sure I know what to expect, but then, that’s Tokarczuk isn’t it?
kaggsysbookishramblings
Feb 05, 2019 @ 11:41:21
Thanks Max! Yeah, Flights was brilliant, wasn’t it? And this is equally good though different in structure. I tried not to give too much away about the book really – although the narrative structure is much more straightforward than Flights, it still weaves back and forth a bit and revealing the plot would spoil the reading experience. I hope you enjoy it! 😀
juliana brina
Feb 05, 2019 @ 15:05:36
Great review, Karen! This book sounds amazing. I loved Flights last year, and now I am looking forward to this one 🙂
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