Albania
Spring Flowers, Spring Frost
by
Ismail Kadare
ISBN: 9781446419588
The story is set away from the main cities, in a town that
is portrayed as a little behind in its attitude, as many country regions around
the world are. In this small town, we meet Mark, an artist, who is trying to
get to grips with many things in his life. He has a girlfriend who keeps
disappearing to the capital for days on end. She seems to be embracing the
westernised way of life a little ahead of Mark. Then there is the bank robbery
in the town, another legacy of the change from the old style of rule?
There is a rumour that the old style of law, ancient in its
origin, is being reintroduced – blood for blood – with extended family members
living in the fear of reprisals for harm you caused; kill a man and your whole
family is in jeopardy. Is there any
truth in these rumours? They certainly carry more weight when the boss at the
office where Mark works is mysteriously and brutally murdered. Mark finds a way
to integrate into the areas where he might find out if this national state
secret law is about to explode throughout the country.
And then we move to the ‘counter chapters’. Interwoven with
this story is a fable of a woman who is married off by her family, to a snake.
The initial introduction is a little off putting, but I found that the fable
held as much interest as the modern story. It is quite difficult here to tell
any more of the fable without giving away the full story of the whole book, but
perhaps suffice to say that there is a point to it.
So what we really have is a book that is exploring the
political history, the current ideology and the future fears for Albania.
Should the country embrace the future Western attitudes? After all, there are
now bank robberies, something that certainly wouldn’t have happened under the
old rule. Should the country have stayed
with the old rule, it protected the citizens from the ancient rule of an eye
for an eye? It is written in crisp,
tight fashion, and is a story that you can’t really fall asleep with, half way
down the page. Certainly save this one for when the concentration levels are
good. That is not to say it’s a difficult book to read, far from it. I found it
enjoyable to read, thought provoking and left me wanting to know more; about
the country, their politics and the author of this relatively short novel.
Novels can give an insight into how politics and history can affect everyday life for individuals in a way no other media can. Bet you'd be in demand as a lecturer on this subject- perhaps you should keep some of your insights for paid employment!
ReplyDeleteAt the very least, it would be a star turn at a literary festival
ReplyDelete