Into the Thickening Fog

by Andrey Gelasimov, Marian Schwartz (Translation)

A French theater agrees to stage the latest work by Filippov―the most prestigious and lucrative opportunity of his infamous career―but first he must sever ties with his longtime collaborator and childhood friend. So the internationally acclaimed Russian director makes a reluctant trip back to his hometown to deliver the news. His journey to the Far North, where the temperature remains dangerous all winter, unexpectedly blurs the distinctions between reality and art for this virtuoso, who prides himself on his ability to create shocking scenes and outrageous situations. And after the city's power grid goes off-line, the brutal cold just might get the better of him. The colder it gets, the more wickedly funny Filippov's boozy exploits, which unravel into an unexpected chain of events―including run-ins with old lovers, meeting a woman who might be his daughter, encounters with the devil, and the unlikely affection of a dog that, like Filippov, is in desperate need of warmth.

Genres: Fiction, Unfinished, Russia, Novels, Ebooks, Contemporary, 21st Century

266 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Andreï Guelassimov est né en 1965 à Irkoutsk. Après des études de lettres, il partà Moscou suivre au Gitis (l'Institut d'études théâtrales) les cours du prestigieux metteur en scène Anatoly Vassiliev. Spécialiste d'Oscar Wilde, il a enseigné à l'université la littérature anglo-américaine. Fox Mulder a une tête de cochon, son premier livre, a été publié en 2001. La Soif (Actes Sud, 2004), son second ouvrage, un récit sur la guerre de Tchétchénie publié en Russie en 2002, a confirmé sa place sur la scène littéraire russe. Il a été la révélation des Belles Etrangères russes en France à l'automne 2004, et son dernier roman vient d'être consacré par le Booker Prize des étudiants 2004.

Reviews

[Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally don't look at other people's reviews before I enter mine—I don't want to be unduly influenced by what they might write or think. But when I saw the rather sad average score this book was languishing under, I couldn't resist taking a peek.

And the thing is, all of the people who hated the book are quite right in what they think about it. It is, indeed, confusing, pointless, morbid, pretentious, wicked, shameless, and deeply depressing.

It is also wickedly funny and slyly clever.

At first, I thought it was just yet another Eastern European drinking and whining festival (see under: Orhan Pamuk), one more depressed Russian taking on board more vodka than any human body is designed to hold and as a consequence making extraordinarily bad choices. And it is all of that. But as the book progresses, it becomes clear that the extreme cold (it takes place in Northern Russia, which is to say Siberia), our protagonist's drinking, the pinball machine of events that keep grabbing him and shoving him around willy nilly—all of those are intended to cause us to feel the claustrophobia and uncertainty of our lives, how our claim to certainty and order are chimera that barely cover the chaos at the depths of our being.

Not everyone will find this book amusing. It really is about a man who is drunk most of the time, under-dressed in weather that might just kill him if he's not careful (and he's not a very careful man, even sober). And our Filippov is quite simply not a very nice man. But if you can take all this with a grain of salt and focus on the sheer exuberant messiness of this sprawling, delightful book, it may well reward your efforts.

[Lorraine Devon Wilke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm. This is a tough one, because the author clearly has skill: imaginative, pithy, a sharp way with words, and clever, witty observational prose. He set the place exceedingly well -- I've never felt colder while reading a book -- giving us an inside and very tangible experience with the frozen, northern region of Russia; in fact, cold was a character, so present and pervasive. And there were other interesting characters (actual people), lots of edgy, facile dialogue, and somewhere in there was the foundation for a great plot. Therein lay the biggest problem:

Plot. Even by the time I was halfway through the book, whatever plot there was could only be described as “meandering.” I kept waiting; waiting for the story to go somewhere, for the set-up to become a page-turning, leading-us-somewhere, compelling, fascinating narrative, but it did not. There were series of vignettes, one set piece after another, but no plot. Ostensibly one exists; sadly, my interest petered out before one made itself known.

Another issue for me is what I'll call "alcohol redundancy." The author has made his protagonist a prodigious drinker of spirits, and I'd guess he -- the writer -- finds this trait far more fascinating than at least this reader did. Like the cold, alcohol was such an all-encompassing, pervasive element woven into the story that it, too, became its own character.

In fact, it was a never-ending discussion, the matter of drinking and its many ramifications. This included the IDEA of drinking, the mention of drinking, the description of drinking; the detailed, anatomical, visceral, physical state of drinking and inebriation in its every form, depth, flavor, reaction, bodily fluid, impact, assault, whatever. It's covered, over and over, page to page, chapter to chapter, to the point that I wanted to scream: "I GET IT! HE DRINKS!" Perhaps it's a Russian theme that never gets wearying to Russians... not so much anyone else?

I kept with it for as long as I could because the author IS a good "writer" in the sense that he knows how to write prose and conjure up interesting characters. But a successful novel also requires pulling readers in with a compelling plot, piquing their interest with twists and turns, delivering an unfolding storyline that keeps them engaged. THAT was missing. So much so that after many attempts to keep going, stay involved, give the writer the respect of finishing his book, I finally faced the fact that I was simply not enjoying the experience and threw in the towel.

So it’s a mixed bag: Skillful prose, interesting characters, but thematically redundant with a negligible plot.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I seem to be one of the few reviewers so far who didn't either love or hate the book. I did like it, and clearly enjoyed it more than most. Yes, the main character Filippov spends the first 2/3 of the book drunk or hung over, which gets pretty tiring (though it does give the author an excuse to philosophize, which I understand is a Russian national pastime). Neither is Filippov very likable, not via the first impression and not after his character is more fully revealed. I was rooting for him, but I wasn't very happy about it.

I found the plot modestly interesting and I really enjoyed the writing. I highlighted this paragraph while reading because I thought it was very well-done, but I probably could have a dozen or two that were equally good:

All this colossal hoarfrost, which could be compared in intensity only with tropical vegetation, was an alternative, nonbiological life-form. Crystals of solidified cold adhered in billions of colonies to any surface in the city the moment the thermometer dropped past forty below, colonies that led an independent and seemingly intelligent life. In their stormy growth and multiplication, one could read not simply spontaneous expansion, not only a primitive seizure of living space—no, they were obviously keeping to a precise plan. The cold here could think, and this ocean of thinking cold very obviously wanted something, expected something, was preparing for something.

Most of the story takes place in Yakutsk. I admit to being fascinated by a place so cold (today's high: -49F, and yes, foggy) and yet so populous (more than 250,000 people live there), and I'm sure it helped my enjoyment of the novel.

This was my Kindle First (free) selection for December. I picked it partly because it seemed like the most neglected book of the ones offered, partly because the others didn't seem compelling, and partly because I guessed I'd like it despite the negative reviews. It's a lot of work to properly translate a novel, so why would anyone bother to translate something that was terrible in its native language? I'm sure it won't make my top 10 of 2017, but it was worth the time to read.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brand new novel, just translated from the Russian, and it's a corker, a modern-day odyssey across the frozen north where temperatures hover at 50 below zero, and all the heat has temporarily vanished. The protagonist is a famous theater director who has no reason to live, but keeps on going towards various goals, some more real than others. Along the way, he sings Tom Waits songs, references the likes of Agatha Christie, South Parker, and Homer's Odyssey, and drinks ridiculous amounts of vodka. He encounters a collection of complicated characters postponed in relation to his inner self, and generally battles gloom to an occasional draw as he keeps finding something necessary to keep him alive until . . . well, I'm not going to say. But I will say I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Never heard of this author, but he has several other novels translated into English, so I'll keep my eyes open.

[Steve Strand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat interesting. The ending was abrupt. Translation was a bit rough at times, but that may have been due to the voice of the narrator. Not a book I'd recommend or ever bother to read again, but it wasn't horrible.

[Holly Kaplan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very intelligent read. Do not go into this thinking, I need a character that I can love or relate to even. Rather, think of this book as a modern take on a dark Russian novel. Bad things happen, life is hard, alcohol is a mischievous mistress, and sometimes we get what we deserve. Not easy, but oh so real. This is a novel of a life gone wrong and how no matter how hard you try to make it right, karma will get you.

[M. Sarki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Knew from the opening pages this title was not for me. Abandoned.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea

I hated this book. Sorry. It took forbid to get into, and even then I only kept reading because I was 60%in and hoped I'd find a plot.
I never did. It's hard to follow and the moment you think you've found a purpose, you find you're completely wrong. The main character is just a self observed dink. I really feel like I wasted time here, this It's the 8th book I've read in 2017 and it took longer to get through than all 7 of the others out together.

[Nick Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but for me it didn’t quite gel. The first third is great and sets up the plot, characters and location brilliantly then the middle section drifts into the titular fog before the end rushes towards a conclusion only to veer sharply away at the last minute. Some novels are about the journey and others about the destination; here everything is indeed shrouded in every thickening fog so that it is impossible to tell if one has arrived or is even heading in the right direction.

Having said that it is well written and translated with a real sense of tone, reminding me at times of both Beckett and Ionescu while still keeping its own authorial voice. It is worth a read but won’t ever be one of my favourite books.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't do it. I cant. My russian heritage does not run deep enough to follow a useless man on a blind-drunk odyssey through the frozen north. I don't care what happens to him or to his devils, but I do hope the dog is ok.

[MaryMargaretRognlien · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not a book I could get into,didn't finish it.

[Ian Hampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible description of inner demons many people struggle with. Dark and intriguing with leaps and bounds that readers can follow while still sharing the protagonists confusion and delusion.

[Steve Sokol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has everything: Deep personal introspection; a journey to a far-away, almost unknown place; trial and overcoming; study in gender, privilege, ethnicity; dogs; the self-fulfilling nature of misery.

What is it lacking? Maybe a comprehensible plot. I actually preferred the first Act, before the story really came together in anything resembling a traditional organization, conflict, resolution.
I wouldn’t say the characters were really well developed either. The whole thing is like an impressionist painting, emotion described in the broadest of strokes without adherence to convention or even accurate description.

Unlike anything I’ve ever read, overall, I liked it. Great prose. Insightful analysis of the human condition. In some ways a great story for our time, despite the weak story. This probably isn’t for everyone. But I’d recommend this to a patient reader interested in a contemporary Russian novel based in Yakutsk. The setting alone is probably worth consideration for open-minded readers.

I’m rating this as four stars based on the number of sections I’ve marked as noteworthy, including this gem, which could be seen as hugely depressing, or liberating in a sort-of Eastern sense from page 89:

You have to agree that each person is trying his hardest for mastery. Everyone wants to master something, to fill himself and his life with something pleasant, important, and precious. But that’s a mistake. It’s one of the saddest errors in the world. No matter how much a person acquires, it still isn’t enough. He’s always tormented by the thirst for something more. Or at least the suspicion that there’s something more. Only the void is capable of ideally filling the human soul. It alone doesn’t leave a single unoccupied spot in the soul.

Then there is this response on page 99 (written years before the COVID-19 pandemic). Many may find this depressing, but I see it as freeing:

In life—no matter how clear, pigeonholed, and boring it is—there are those times when we understand with absolute clarity that this very moment anything is possible, and we understand this coldly, disinterestedly, and, at the same time, furiously. Suddenly, we understand that the plane might crash, our spouse might not come home, the person standing next to us in the Metro might be carrying a deadly virus. Moreover, a friend who died long ago might call out to us in an underground passageway, the midnight sky might shine from end to end, a fish might talk, and a black cat might consider us a bad omen. There are moments when anything seems possible, anything our imaginations can conceive. In such instances, death might well seem to await us in our provincial hotel room.

[Jeff Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrei Gelasimov is one of Russian's most celebrated contemporary authors. His first self-published story on the Internet, "A Tender Age" was awarded a prize for the year's best debut, followed quickly by "Thirst", a novel about alcoholism and the aftermath of the Chechen war. He has gone on to write several more novels, all of which were successful enough to be translated into English, and "Into the Thickening Fog" is his fifth.

Gelasimov's writing is crisp, funny, poignant and at times absurd. The novel starts out with this sentence--which is a good sense of things to come. "The best place to pass out is in the tail-end lavatory of a Boeing 757."

The novel is the story of a misogynist alcoholic playwright/director, Filippov, who is returning to his northern home town to make amends to his set director friend/partner, whom he has recently shafted (because the new play he's working on didn't need a set). Filippov is an idiot, full of privilege and intellectual hubris, once celebrated but who's star is now falling, and despite this, he's charming in his own way. I could easily seen him being played by an actor like Robert Downey, Jr.

What begins as a simple premise, turns more and more nightmarish, as his home town is beset by an unusually strong fall freeze, with temperatures dropping to 50 below, and the towns' heating system failing. The drunker Filippov gets, the more he is visited by his own personal demon, called affectionally the Demon of the Dark, as well as other strange characters, until it gets to a point where Filippov (and the reader) can't tell regular people from the demon. Just when it seems the novel is spiraling out of control (about 3/4 of the way through) there is a shocking revelation, and the novel shifts as the reader gets insight into the lingering guilt that drove Filippov to drink, and for the remainder of the novel, a surprisingly sober Filippov searches for some kind of redemption.

Overall the novel is surprisingly successful, though Gelasimov does push the boundaries of both good taste and conventional storytelling so much that many readers may find it irritating.

[Nicole C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book doesn't have a whole lot of love on Goodreads, which I understand, as it's definitely not to everyone's taste. However, I really liked this book a lot.

The plot, such as it is, is minimal - our protagonist, Filippov, who is a theatre director, goes back home to his native Russia to try to do the right thing and break the news in person: his friend and collaborator is actually not part of the newest illustrious project a French theatre company has agreed to do. Along the way, he meets with some interesting folks, and also, the power grid in the city goes offline, leading to potentially disastrous situations.

Filippov, or Filya as he's referred to in most of the book, is a sot and not a nice guy, to put it mildly. However, he's also pretty philosophical and darkly comic at times.

The book is separated into three acts, which, obviously, appears deliberate, as the main character is a theater director.

The pervasive cold is also a major character, as the author really does give you intense descriptions of what it would feel like to be mired in this sort of situation, and I really was reading this most of the time with a blanket around my feet!

I'm not sure how to feel about the abrupt ending, but overall, I did enjoy this book, and would recommend it to those of you who appreciate Russian novels that deal with existential dread and don't mind that their protagonist is kind of an asshole.

[Snoakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filippov suffered a betrayal and a loss at a young age and ever since he has embraced his central role in the tragedy that is life with a startling morbidity. As jaded and cynical a character as you are likely to meet, he ricochets from situation to increasingly absurd situation fuelled by bad drink and even worse decisions.

The novel is set in northern Russia - a place where municipal heating mains are an essential of life and heating engineers are the most important people in town. Stay outside too long in this hostile environment and you will die. The unimaginable cold permeates every page.

This feels a very Russian novel - somewhat gloomy and full of introspection, philosophising and navel-gazing. That makes it sound dreary, but it isn't - Filippov's escapades are amusing, just don't expect belly laughs but there's a wry smirk or two to be had.

I had no prior knowledge of this author when I downloaded Into the Thickening Fog as a Kindle First. I didn't know what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Filya is a famous Russian producer of films and plays, and a total drunk. While he normally works with a designer named Peter from his home town in Siberia, he plans to do his next play in Paris without Peter. He makes a trip back to his town to tell Peter in person. This is the setting for a strange journey in which he meets a variety of unusual characters and people he knew from his past. It also includes his relationship with the Demon of the Void who haunts him, usually when drunk. He seeks redemption and forgiveness but generally finds neither as he struggles to survive the harsh winter weather during a blackout and heating malfunction.

This book displays the dark underside of Russia and Russian literature. At times hard to follow (too many ill defined characters). But it's kind of a wild ride even if often only in circles.

[James Frederick · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a STRANGE book this was! Very hard to rate. I almost stopped reading it about 1/3 of the way through, because it was hard to get into. Very psychedelic, in parts. It got better about 2/3 of the way through, and was interesting toward the end. I would not call this an uplifting book, in any way, shape or form. Much of what is here would be considered a Shakespearean tragedy and it highlights much of the worst of the human condition and behavior. A lot of what is here is absolutely appalling. Of course, like many train wrecks, it is difficult to turn away.

[Harry Allagree · Rating 1 out of 5]

Either I totally missed the point about this novel...or else it's the worst novel I've read in a long time. It made no sense from the opening paragraph & struck me throughout a just bizarre. I couldn't figure out if Filippov was an alcoholic or just crazy, if the scenes were describing something real or a dream. The book description refers to Andrey Gelasimov as "one of Russia's most celebrated contemporary novelists". If this is representative of his work, then I seriously disagree with the statement! I feel as though I wasted my time on this book!

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, if a bit hard to follow. Very Russian. If you've read any other books by Russian authors (especially modern ones), you'll know what I mean... they all seem to have a similar feel. If you haven't, no amount of additional explanation will help.

I wouldn't go out of my way to read this, but if you're looking for something to fill a gap in your reading schedule, it's worth checking out.

[Ryan Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure I really get what Gelasimov was going for here - the "fog" of alcoholism, memory, the gulf between intentions and results, what being a "good person" means, etc. But some of that, I suppose, could be lost in translation? For that alone, I can't give it lower than three. Though I think the best way to understand and digest this admittedly rich novel would be to learn Russian and then read it.

[Jacob Castillo · Rating 2 out of 5]

a fever dream whodunnit?

Take a drug induced syndical story and change the whole dynamic of the story three quarters in and this is what you get. Not to mention a town trying to survive a disaster… So a drunk theater director visits his old home town and there’s flashes of an interesting that just get moved aside. No answers are given but to be fair the author also kinda only asked a half question with so many plot changes.

[Christian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this. I really did.

It does have some great qualities too. The writing is superb. But in the end it left me asking so many questions.
What actually happened?
Was the story actually three shorter stories?
Did Nina actually die?

In the end it all got so confusing and it felt like the plot didn't move. Which is a shame when the writing is of a high quality.

[Kathleen Esche · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my kind of book

I am sure there is much more to this book than I was able to appreciate. I was totally lost. The setting for the book makes me want to find out more about that area. The ending had an interesting twist. I’m not a thoughtful reader. I read to reduce stress and relax.

[jodi watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not finish this book, got to 83% complete, really tried to complete - even a page or two at a time- but I could not!!!!-- while the author is witty and sarcastic, it is too much - the novel become chaotic and difficult to follow. in reviewing others views, some loved it -- this just is not the type of novel for me !

[Robert Rogers · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was terrible. I rarely stop reading a book, but after forcing myself 25% of the way through, I quit. The plot was going nowhere, and it was a depressing story of constant references to alcohol, sex, and hopelessness in Siberia at 40 degrees below zero, and supposedly this book was humorous. Well, the joke was on mean for wasting time reading one-fourth of it. I give up.

[Leona · Rating 1 out of 5]

The most confusing book I've ever read

I don't even really know what happened, what's real or isn't in the story, or what the point of this was. The last third was at least more understandable and interesting, but even still the whole story is a mess. I only finished this book so I wouldn't leave it unfinished. And, in the end, it wasn't worth it.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. The book takes place in Russia and portrays it as a cold, dismal, and foggy location. The protagonist is well-known and drinks excessively. As he goes through the journey in Russia, he meets people dealing with the bitter cold and down on their luck in a variety of situations. I found the book slow and a bit of a challenge to read. I was ready for it to end to get out of the foggy rut.

[Alyssa Callahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and disorienting

First, it's Russian which brings a cultural gap. Second, the main character is a drunk and the story is told through the lens of alcohol. It is hard to get used to at first but ultimately adds a twist to the storytelling.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Foggy, like the landscape

I am not a connoisseur of Russian lit, but this does seem to hit all the classic elements. Depressing, soul-crushing existence, confusing character names and relationships, and futility.