Olga Tokarczuk, a well-known and controversial writer in her native Poland, became better known to an international audience when she was awarded the International Booker Prize for her novel Flights in 2018. Her 2009 novel Drive your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead caused a sensation in her homeland and more than a little controversy - she was accused of promoting eco-terrorism! The novel is hard to categorize - on the surface, it is a noir crime novel - indeed it is a story of several murders that take place under mysterious circumstances in a rural, mountainous area of western Poland, complete with a creative resolution. But there are other very interesting aspects of the story - particularly, the odd character of the protagonist, Janina Duszejko, who is an elderly women, suffering from an undisclosed illness with strange symptoms, and has a fascination to both astrology and nature (in particular, animals). It would not be an exaggeration to call her a fanatic regarding both of these pursuits. She is also a retired English teacher and passionate admirer of William Blake, and helps a friend work out translations basically as a mental exercise. The novel is narrated by Janina and her personality quirks color the entire story. Despite the murder plot, the novel is also very meditative - the tone is calm and solemn, philosophical, really, as issues such as free will vs. determinism and species chauvinism surface throughout. It's a wonderful and fascinating read.
For a review of the book by The Guardian, click here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/21/drive-your-plow-over-the-bones-of-the-dead-review
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