This Cursed Beautiful Land: A Russian-American Story
Deeply reported, enthralling ... One of a handful of recent books whose ultimate subject is nostalgia for a country overtaken by authoritarianism ... Many will never return, their sense of alienation from Russia only deepening with time, along with their nostalgia. Gershkovich won’t be welcome back anytime soon either.
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The story of this arrest and sham trial, but also an account of his impressive reporting efforts in the years before his detention ... This memoir is immensely readable, with Gershkovich’s personality, humour and journalistic instinct shining throughout it ... Gripping, courageous and important.
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A bleak picture, but not entirely ... At the poignant heart of this book is the author’s bond with his cellmates (who, for their safety, he presents as a composite figure, Seryoga). Though he initially feared Seryoga was an informant, they became improbably close and mutually supportive, playing backgammon and watching movies on their cell TV ... So this tale of punishment without a crime turns into an offbeat love story.
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