Albanian novelist Kadare received the first Man Booker International Prize, an outgrowth of England's prestigious Booker Prize. May the award draw more readers to this sublimely disquieting artist. Kadare here expands upon an incident late in his nation's Communist era. The designated successor to the Guide (dictator Enver Hoxha) is shot to death in his bed one night. "Suicide or murder?" is the question in everyone's mind. In seven chapters laced with the blackest comedy, Kadare plumbs the souls of those most affected: the successor's daughter (whose engagement her father had recently squelched), the minister of the interior (the nation's ultimate police chief), the architect who remodeled the successor's elaborate house (and knew of a secret passage to the Guide's nearby home), the Guide (who rather relishes skulduggery), and the successor himself as a spirit. Oh, yes, also intelligence agencies everywhere, which must begrudgingly dust off the Albania files. Answers are found to the big question, but not, perhaps, solutions. Meanwhile, the heart's ineradicable darkness is exquisitely, painfully reconfirmed. (Booklist)

One of the '1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die' (2008 edition)

Thanks so much for your donation ApoloniaX!

This book is now part of the 1001-library. If you want to take this book from the library but don't know how to proceed, please refer to the 1001-library bookshelf.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Travelling to soffitta1
Enjoy

Looks so good, thanks. TBR and passed to Caroley.

Read as part of Librarything's 1010 Challenge - Olympic Category
See here for my 1010 Challenge list

Very interesting read, I read it last night. I found myself drawn in quickly to the political machinations following the suicide of the titular Successor.

Sent 16/10

I've just gone to make a journal entry on this and realised that I hadn't journalled it on receiving it - so apologies to Soffitta1 for not doing that. I hope you weren't too worried about the books whereabouts.

I read the book yesterday and really enjoyed it. Maybe not quite as much as the author's Broken April, which I thought was outstanding, but enough to confirm Kadare as one of the authors that I will certainly be reading more of.

It's partly the writing, which keeps you engrossed, and partly that it's set in Albania which is a country that I'm finding fascinating. Reading Kadare's books is making me want to learn more about the country as the history and culture is so different from our own.

Ok, I'll stop rambling now and pass this back to the library for someone else to enjoy :-)

Thanks for sending it to me Soffitta1, and again apologies for the delay in journalling - I can only put my forgetfulness down to my excitement in getting my hands on another Kadare...

This book is now back on the 1001 library bookshelf and can be borrowed by PMing Caroleyr:)

If you want to take this book from the library but don't know how to proceed, please refer to the library bookshelf.

Reserved for Miss-Owl

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Posted surface mail to Miss-Owl

Surface mail? It's already here! Wow - all my Christmases have come at once :) Thank you, Caroley!