Summary:
The main character, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, relates what happens during a day of his ten-year sentence as an internee in one of Stalin's labour camps.
Why I read it:
- I have several books by the author which I've been meaning to read for a while and now was the perfect moment since I want to read Russian and Ukrainian books this month.
Why you should read it:
- It shows how governments can go wrong and act as a warning so we, as citizens of the world, don't allow it.
- It brings you closer to the human condition.
- The author is a writing master and a Nobel prize winner.
- It's rather short!
Thoughts:
I'm glad that this was my first read of the year. As soon as I started reading, everything sounded very familiar. The reason, of course, is that I grew up in a communist country (Cuba) so, the nonsensical laws, inhuman treatment of innocents, and bogged down system that only moves through bribery were all things I know well. The injustice of it all enrages me, but what should have been a bleak reading experience instead filled me with feelings of kinship and admiration for Ivan, who, with a great show of the resilience of the human spirit, at the end of the day, chooses to focus on the miserly good things that have happened instead of the horror of his circumstances.