G190 E-Reading Book Review of The Rusmolovo Diaries by E. V. Shlychkova
Author: E. V. Shlychkova
ISBN/ASIN: B00DP03626
Publisher: Amazon Kindle
Type of book: Sex, erotica, Russia, depressing, 2000s, lost self and childhood, adult, St. Petersburg
Year it was published: 2013
Summary:
"Never has such a tragic book had so much sex"
This is a lost diary of an 18-year old girl that was found by a cleaning lady in the bar toilet in the small settlement outside St. Petersburg, Russia. Nobody has yet claimed it and it’s understandable considering many graphic sex details and dirty little secrets it contains. But if you keep an open mind you’ll find that behind all the sex and cynical observations, there is a vulnerable girl who, like all of us, strives for love and beauty.
Due to explicit content – the book is for adults only.
Characters:
Although some characters do populate the book, such as April and Katya's girlfriend whose name escapes me at the moment, the main ones are Katya and her relationships with family members as well as April. Katya strikes me as anti-family and she tends to be sort of a selfish character along with lacking a purpose in life. She drifts from one person to another, or from one job to another. Whatever dreams she has had were squashed by reality and extreme dire economy. I did find it odd that she didn't seem to try to be a mail order bride or something of the kind. April seemed more knowledgeable and resourceful than Katya, and he also seemed kind of light-hearted, at least that's the way his character was for me. Other characters didn't really make a strong impression on me, although I would have liked to know more details about why Natalya and Katya hate one another's guts.
Theme:
Life without meaning will devoid and empty.
Plot:
Its written in first person narrative from Katya's point of view. The style is a bit Russian, especially when it came to lines dividing the dialogues, and its divided into chapters. I think the whole thing takes a whole year. I have also asked the author if its real or fiction, and she has told me its fiction, although it does read really life-like in my opinion. While this novel does have sexual scenes in it, they are not meant to arouse someone, but instead they emphasize the emptiness that Katya's life has.
Author Information:
From what I recall, she lives in St Petersburg Russia and struggles with "the".
Opinion:
To an extent I did like this book and couldn't find it erotic. In fact its a pretty depressing novel. For the first eight years of my life I grew up in Russia Moscow and although for almost twenty years I have lived in America, there is something raw and homey that I felt. One particular scene involves Katya and her curiosity of genitals, which had me recalling a time I asked a guy friend as a five year old about how his look like... Katya is basically surviving day by day with almost little or nothing to look forward besides her sexual encounters with men. She doesn't want to have children, and in Russian culture having children is of the highest importance, and is forced to ignore her own self and needs for her family, at least when it comes to material possessions. Reading this had me recalling Dostoevsky as well as Doctor Zhivago, but I guess its the depressing atmosphere that made all the difference. I also sensed that Katya doesn't really connect to her own self, or doesn't even know herself. This book does have sex scenes and, I imagine, will make some readers uncomfortable with slight racist hints, at least when it comes to Korean media. Not for children or young adults.
Quick Notes: This is a review for Making Connections
3 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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