James Meek: The people's act of love

A great book about an escaped convict in Siberia during the Russian Civil War. For me its main power comes from the description of Siberia at the time. There are lots of details and episodes which are not generally known to a foreigner regarding this period. There is, for example, the sect of angels who are people trying to live a holy life by castrating themselves. Or there are the Czeckoslovakian army that owns a thin strip along the Transsiberian Railway, thousands of miles from their home.



Having said this, The people's act of love is also an emotionally charged novel, and not in a bad sense. It deals with issues of humanity in an inhuman place at some very difficult times.