This had been on my wish list for a while until yesterday I spotted it in a church sale. 50p! What a bargain.

Interesting short novel about a survivor of the Russian slave camps. The protagonist tells the story of his life and his strained relationship with his brother with a backdrop of modern Russian history. It's a good story, well told, but perhaps doesn't reach the heights I expect from Amis - 'Money' is one of my favourite all time books. He does capture the Russian style and mood quite well and, as you'd expect from Amis, the main character is not particularly sympathetic. Worth a look.

In the LFL.