Number 24- A Matter of Death and Life- Andrey Kurkov

 

Another cheat read to get the numbers up, and more proof that short books can be just as satisfying as epic volumes spanning thousands of pages.

The second book in a row starting with a suicidal man deciding to end it all.  This time, however, our narrator decides to go for something dramatic, and to ensure people remember him.  He hires a hit-man to murder him.

Unfortunately, he soon decides that he actually wants to live. This leaves him with a predicament since the contract killer is on his trail.

This didn't take any of the narrative paths I thought it would from the plot description, and I loved it for feeling so original despite being over 30 years old.

George Bird's translation from the Russian reads very nicely. There's a lovely sense of black humour running through the narrative along with some real tension in places.

This is my second Kurkov novel and I will be buying more. I noticed in the By the Same Author bit that there is a sequel to Death And The Penguin, and that is now high up on my to be bought list.