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152 pages, Paperback
Published September 15, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 25, 2026
I was ready to be disappointed, but after finishing it, have to admit there are some good things here.
The novel is divided into four parts: the framing fairytale, which contains three stories told by a creature like a three-headed Zmey Gorynych, with the recognisable faces of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov. The protagonist, Ivan, is of course Ivan the Fool — although here he is less a fool than a mostly silent witness with one simple goal: to fulfill his heart’s desire.
Each of the three stories tries to imitate the style of its respective author (and, honestly, the result often feels weak even as satire or postmodern pastiche). Still, Sorokin’s wild imagination is undeniably entertaining. As far as i understood it, each story is something of a medley of the major works of each classic, breathed onto Ivan’s face by one of the heads.
The Chekhov section worked best for me. It takes place in the future, in a Martian colony, and parallels The Cherry Orchard (which is smart choice). There is some genuinely great irony and imagery here.
And that third part left me wondering why Sorokin had to compile and remix Dostoevsky and Tolstoy without really transforming it into something brand new, just some details which do not reveal nothing new. At least, i didn’t quite see what he was trying to achieve with it.
And the ending tone steals a lot both from fairytale and heart-warming nostalgia which obviously wasn’t the author’s intention. To strengthen the idea of not turning back and not to be ridiculously sentimental, i suppose. But why not? It’s not a bad thing to be Ivan the Fool after all.
The novel is divided into four parts: the framing fairytale, which contains three stories told by a creature like a three-headed Zmey Gorynych, with the recognisable faces of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov. The protagonist, Ivan, is of course Ivan the Fool — although here he is less a fool than a mostly silent witness with one simple goal: to fulfill his heart’s desire.
Each of the three stories tries to imitate the style of its respective author (and, honestly, the result often feels weak even as satire or postmodern pastiche). Still, Sorokin’s wild imagination is undeniably entertaining. As far as i understood it, each story is something of a medley of the major works of each classic, breathed onto Ivan’s face by one of the heads.
The Chekhov section worked best for me. It takes place in the future, in a Martian colony, and parallels The Cherry Orchard (which is smart choice). There is some genuinely great irony and imagery here.
And that third part left me wondering why Sorokin had to compile and remix Dostoevsky and Tolstoy without really transforming it into something brand new, just some details which do not reveal nothing new. At least, i didn’t quite see what he was trying to achieve with it.
And the ending tone steals a lot both from fairytale and heart-warming nostalgia which obviously wasn’t the author’s intention. To strengthen the idea of not turning back and not to be ridiculously sentimental, i suppose. But why not? It’s not a bad thing to be Ivan the Fool after all.
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February 1, 2026book_id:825
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews