Safe Return Doubtful

Translated by Julia Meitov Hersey

It’s a considerable divergence from my normal reading habits to read a Ukranian fantasy novel, but I am really pleased I did.
It may be categorised as fantasy, but ‘weird fiction’ may suit it better, as certainly it is far from the usual. It lacks the action scenes that would be expected from standard fantasy or horror, but the slower pace suits it well.
In a rough area of the city, in its darkly lit back alleys, the protagonist radio show presener, DJ Aspirin, rescues a 10 year old girl and her teddy bear. Initially reluctant, he allows her to stay in his apartment, and cares for her, the pair developing a far from normal father-daughter relationship. The young girl, who quickly learns to play the violin, is stubborn and precocious, and gets herself into  situations with local thugs, from which her escape appears inexplicable.
Rather like Aspirin, I had plenty of skepticism at first, but was certainly rewarded by something very different, and a lot of fun. It is light on fantasy, but what there is provides tension and an element of mystery, but the Dyachenko’s interpretation of a growing relationship is the book’s strength. In that respect, to market it to readers of science fiction and fantasy is not what the novel deserves, lovers of those genres expecting their usual dose will be disappointed; rather its an off-the-wall and refreshing piece of contemporary Russian writing, a portrayal of a man whose life is going nowhere,  bemused and given purpose by a little bit of magic.

The Dyachenkos are new to me, and I will certainly read more from them; a Ukranian husband and wife team, who write in Russian, and have identified a wonderful translator in Julia Meitov Hersey.