DRIVE YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2009)
Janina Duszejko is no run of the mill eco-warrior. To see her on the street you’d dismiss her as mad bag lady or brand her as just a crazy crone. You’d imagine her in a rundown house full of cats but in her case, dogs are her beloved pets.
She used to have two but they are missing, presumed dead at the hands of the local hunters she hates with a vengeance.
Janina (a name she loathes) is getting on in years and her rage against cruelty to animals is fierce. Although not lacking in strength or energy, she struggles to find peace of mind in a world dominated by supposedly “exemplary citizens” whose values are not her own.
For her the godless world is defined by sorrow and suffering. “I see everything as if in a dark mirror”, she admits and, for her, “life is a fleeting incident, followed by death”.
In this highly original novel, she narrates (unreliably) the strange series of deaths that occur among her neighbours. Using astrological charts, she seeks guidance from the stars to explain how and why these men died so violently. Her theory is that these are acts of revenge from animals who are routinely hunted, killed or mistreated. The police, unsurprisingly dismiss such claims as the ravings of a lunatic.
Janina loves animals more than humans and caustically observes how “with age, many men come down with testosterone autism, the symptoms of which are a gradual decline in social intelligence and capacity for interpersonal communication, as well as a reduced ability to formulate thoughts”
It comes as no surprise to learn that the Polish author, Olga Tokarczuk, is a vegetarian. Like her fictional creation, she understands that animals are not objects to be used and then discarded.
Her strange noirish story takes its distinctive title from a line by William Blake, and quotes from this poet begin each chapter. Blake himself would surely have endorsed the viewpoint of Janina that “the prison is not outside, but inside each of us”.
Reblogged this on THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON….
Brilliant novel, absolutely loved it, an unforgettable character and an entertaining mystery finishing with a beautiful escape that restores faith in (some) humanity.
I’m not vegetarian; though I infrequently eat mammal meat, I do enjoy eating prawns or shrimp pretty much on a weekly basis. Still, it really is something to hear some people coo at an adorable little piglet on TV, only to eat a hardy bacon/sausage-and-egg breakfast the next morning conscience-free.
And while I don’t believe that God required blood and pain ‘payment’, from Jesus or anyone else, I do factually know that the creator’s animals have had their blood literally shed and bodies eaten in mindboggling quantities by Man. And maybe the figurative forbidden fruit of Eden eaten by Adam and Eve was actually God’s four-legged creation.
I can see that really angering the Almighty — a lot more than the couple’s eating non-sentient, non-living, non-bloodied fruit. Mainstream Christianity doesn’t speak up much at all about what we, collectively, have done to animals for so long.
Thank you for this thoughtful and honest comment. I think you are right that the plight of animals is largely ingored by the mainstream media and religious bodies. Olga Tokarczuk’s novel addresses the secular aspects of this issue in a highly original fashion. She makes clear that both an ethical and environmental perspective, human behaviour needs to change.