What do you think?
Rate this book
Vodka for Breakfast
A saga of love, friendship, life, drugs, and opportunities almost lost on an ex-KGB company man who leads a seemingly decent immigrant’s life of quiet desperation in New York.
“The less people know about you, the longer you live” is the motto of Arkady Prikol — the antihero of this quirky, existential thriller — an aging Russian-Jewish émigré living an uneventful life on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Uneventful until the day he gets a phone call from a man who calls himself Timur. The man who has been dead for 20 years.
Once upon a time Arkady and Timur were best friends and co-workers at a top-secret place called Lab 52, where they designed and tested psychotropic drugs. But soon Arkady and Timur’s camaraderie ran into something greater than all the LSD in their lab. Her name was Lisa. Such triangles don’t end well. Arkady keeps replaying in his mind bittersweet scenes of love, sex, and tenderness, and gradually comes to realize that their torrid romance was not what it seemed. As Lisa broke out of the romantic mold the two friends have tried hard to keep her in, she showed her true colors, and they learned what happens when poetry mixes with political dissent in a Russian girl’s heart.
With his old life trying to catch up with him, Arkady goes on a lam, running from one hideout to another — from the Dominican barrio to a Moldavian bordello in Riverdale and finally to a top-security Mafia “sanctuary” in Brooklyn. As he runs, he keeps searching for the clues to his caller’s true identity, forced to dig into his long-dead past where he suddenly discovers a slim possibility of a future.
“The less people know about you, the longer you live” is the motto of Arkady Prikol — the antihero of this quirky, existential thriller — an aging Russian-Jewish émigré living an uneventful life on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Uneventful until the day he gets a phone call from a man who calls himself Timur. The man who has been dead for 20 years.
Once upon a time Arkady and Timur were best friends and co-workers at a top-secret place called Lab 52, where they designed and tested psychotropic drugs. But soon Arkady and Timur’s camaraderie ran into something greater than all the LSD in their lab. Her name was Lisa. Such triangles don’t end well. Arkady keeps replaying in his mind bittersweet scenes of love, sex, and tenderness, and gradually comes to realize that their torrid romance was not what it seemed. As Lisa broke out of the romantic mold the two friends have tried hard to keep her in, she showed her true colors, and they learned what happens when poetry mixes with political dissent in a Russian girl’s heart.
With his old life trying to catch up with him, Arkady goes on a lam, running from one hideout to another — from the Dominican barrio to a Moldavian bordello in Riverdale and finally to a top-security Mafia “sanctuary” in Brooklyn. As he runs, he keeps searching for the clues to his caller’s true identity, forced to dig into his long-dead past where he suddenly discovers a slim possibility of a future.
266 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
About the author
David Gurevich
4 books8 followersDavid Gurevich was born eons ago in the Soviet Union, a country that no longer exists. In 1975 I was allowed to leave in the "Useless Jew" category. (Useful ones had a harder time getting out). I came to the US, which I liked just fine, mostly because it did not give a damn whether I liked it or not, which is not common in the world.
I liked moving so much that I just could not stop and I kept going, from St.Louis to NYC to LA to S.Antonio to Seattle back to NYC, with points in between...then I got naturalized (not to be confused with "natural", a significant distinction) and immediately applied for a passport. I traveled on through Israel and Europe, and only a lack of funds stopped me from going farther.
With the exception of short-lived jobs at an office in NYC and at a computer company in Seattle I was unable to settle on an occupation, which is a natural path to writing. In 1987 I published my first novel, Travels with Dubinsky and Clive, which was enjoyed by many reviewers across the land, but not by my editor at Viking, who quit almost immediately, once he had realized what he had wrought.
My second book, a memoir of Soviet life called From Lenin to Lennon, was once again adored by major reviewers, but not by my successive four editors at Harcourt Brace, who promised to sue me if I disclosed their names. Alas, this career description is not as uncommon as it seems at first blush.
I retired and started a family, which I loved. But then my dearly beloved prodigy son smashed his violin, tore up his Yale medical school acceptance letter, and turned into a bitter disagreeable teenager. So I went back to the keyboard. The result is Young Spies in Love, a romantic spy thriller. With not a trace of political correctness, it did not have a chance in mainstream publishing, which is why I put it out myself on Amazon. Enjoy!
I liked moving so much that I just could not stop and I kept going, from St.Louis to NYC to LA to S.Antonio to Seattle back to NYC, with points in between...then I got naturalized (not to be confused with "natural", a significant distinction) and immediately applied for a passport. I traveled on through Israel and Europe, and only a lack of funds stopped me from going farther.
With the exception of short-lived jobs at an office in NYC and at a computer company in Seattle I was unable to settle on an occupation, which is a natural path to writing. In 1987 I published my first novel, Travels with Dubinsky and Clive, which was enjoyed by many reviewers across the land, but not by my editor at Viking, who quit almost immediately, once he had realized what he had wrought.
My second book, a memoir of Soviet life called From Lenin to Lennon, was once again adored by major reviewers, but not by my successive four editors at Harcourt Brace, who promised to sue me if I disclosed their names. Alas, this career description is not as uncommon as it seems at first blush.
I retired and started a family, which I loved. But then my dearly beloved prodigy son smashed his violin, tore up his Yale medical school acceptance letter, and turned into a bitter disagreeable teenager. So I went back to the keyboard. The result is Young Spies in Love, a romantic spy thriller. With not a trace of political correctness, it did not have a chance in mainstream publishing, which is why I put it out myself on Amazon. Enjoy!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 18, 2010
If Vodka for Breakfast were set to a soundtrack, the music would flow surprisingly easy between sharp cello strings found in a car chasing scene from the likes of a Bourne Identity film, to the soft piano keys set as the background music to a favorite love story. In his novel, David Gurevich is able to stitch together the action and drama genres to weave a story of danger and love while exploring the possibility that even after these things cease to exist, the past still does.
I picked this book because of the title, but what kept me reading was the main character, Arkady Prikol, claims that he lives a plot-less life where nothing exciting happens. However, while he proclaims this misery, the words around him suggest that he has a very interesting life indeed. Prikol is a man with a past. He receives phone calls from people he believes are dead; his mother is either crazy or pretending to be crazy; and he just can’t seem to shake a memory of love from his youth.
His first instinct is to run from all these things. However, with his history nipping at his heels, he begins to unfold part of the past he didn’t know was there. As Prikol begins to put the pieces together, he reflects on his history that has now become his present. Prikol questions what a person might need in life except for the love a good woman and the friendship of a good man. While this question has a nice ring to it, I think Vodka for Breakfast is Gurevich’s subtle way of suggesting that while a person might only need these things, perhaps a good book wouldn’t hurt either.
I picked this book because of the title, but what kept me reading was the main character, Arkady Prikol, claims that he lives a plot-less life where nothing exciting happens. However, while he proclaims this misery, the words around him suggest that he has a very interesting life indeed. Prikol is a man with a past. He receives phone calls from people he believes are dead; his mother is either crazy or pretending to be crazy; and he just can’t seem to shake a memory of love from his youth.
His first instinct is to run from all these things. However, with his history nipping at his heels, he begins to unfold part of the past he didn’t know was there. As Prikol begins to put the pieces together, he reflects on his history that has now become his present. Prikol questions what a person might need in life except for the love a good woman and the friendship of a good man. While this question has a nice ring to it, I think Vodka for Breakfast is Gurevich’s subtle way of suggesting that while a person might only need these things, perhaps a good book wouldn’t hurt either.
February 23, 2010
A elderly Russian-Jewish émigré goes on the run in an attempt to escape his past while trying to unravel the identity of a man claiming to be his long dead best friend in this funny and interesting thriller.
The protagonist of David Gurevich's "Vodka for Breakfast" Arkady Prikol is an elderly Russian-Jewish émigré living in Manhattan. Prikol lives a mundane life in New York, something he is happy about until he is contacted from his old friend, Timur, who has been dead for two decades.
Thrust back into the past, Prikol is forced to recall his time with Timur,and their shared love of a Russian woman named Lisa. As workers in a lab they created and tested LSD, both fel in love with Lisa, who ultimately was not who neither Prikol or Timur thought her to be. Prikol's memories of love, friendship, poetry and drug use torment him as his old life collides with his new, calmer one and his future becomes clearer.
"Vodka for Breakfast" is an engaging and interesting read. At times funny, poignant, and always well written, this book keeps the reader's attention throughout.
The protagonist of David Gurevich's "Vodka for Breakfast" Arkady Prikol is an elderly Russian-Jewish émigré living in Manhattan. Prikol lives a mundane life in New York, something he is happy about until he is contacted from his old friend, Timur, who has been dead for two decades.
Thrust back into the past, Prikol is forced to recall his time with Timur,and their shared love of a Russian woman named Lisa. As workers in a lab they created and tested LSD, both fel in love with Lisa, who ultimately was not who neither Prikol or Timur thought her to be. Prikol's memories of love, friendship, poetry and drug use torment him as his old life collides with his new, calmer one and his future becomes clearer.
"Vodka for Breakfast" is an engaging and interesting read. At times funny, poignant, and always well written, this book keeps the reader's attention throughout.
February 4, 2011
David Gurevich's Vodka for Breakfast grabs the reader by the lapel and heaves them through this magnetic novel; Gurevich interweaves fast-paced action, wistful romance, and sharp wit in a concoction that is so compelling, it seems to be laced with vodka!
Russian immigrant Arkady Prikol thought he could file his past away – a beautiful and mysterious woman named Lisa, a job with the KGB creating and testing powerful drugs – confining it to nightmares and drowning it in pills and booze. However, the unassuming Jewish New Yorker is compelled to face it when he gets a call from his long-time friend and coworker Timur... who has been dead for years. Forced into a conspiratorial web and fleeing unknown pursuers, Prikol struggles to maintain sanity in order to keep his life and find the truth behind his present troubles and the fires of the past that refuse to be put out.
Gurevich's characters are as compelling as his wry humor, and the novel's heavier moments are equally moving and well-written. I highly recommend Vodka for Breakfast, not only as a fun, hard-to-put-down read, but also as a thought-provoking novel that isn't afraid to “tell it like it is!”
Russian immigrant Arkady Prikol thought he could file his past away – a beautiful and mysterious woman named Lisa, a job with the KGB creating and testing powerful drugs – confining it to nightmares and drowning it in pills and booze. However, the unassuming Jewish New Yorker is compelled to face it when he gets a call from his long-time friend and coworker Timur... who has been dead for years. Forced into a conspiratorial web and fleeing unknown pursuers, Prikol struggles to maintain sanity in order to keep his life and find the truth behind his present troubles and the fires of the past that refuse to be put out.
Gurevich's characters are as compelling as his wry humor, and the novel's heavier moments are equally moving and well-written. I highly recommend Vodka for Breakfast, not only as a fun, hard-to-put-down read, but also as a thought-provoking novel that isn't afraid to “tell it like it is!”
August 21, 2010
Imagine being an old Russian Jew, living life peacefully on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and one day, your world is suddenly thrown upside down by a single phone call.
In David Gurevich’s Vodka for Breakfast, readers are thrown into dramatic waves of incidents one instant and are rescued on boats of laughter the next. Arkady Prikol, the main character of Gurevich’s novel, receives a phone call one day from a ghost of his past, claiming to be an old friend who died 20 years ago.
As Prikol attempts to navigate the rocky waters of his past, readers begin to see that perhaps not everything is behind him. As he searches his memories and surroundings for Timur, his former friend, he relives points of his past that include working for the KGB to create and test LSD and sharing an emotional connection with a woman named Lisa, with whom Timur is also in love with. However, in the end, Lisa is exposed to be someone neither man really truly knows.
Vodka for Breakfast is a well-crafted, insightful novel that leaves readers questioning whether the past is truly in the past or whether, at certain times, you are doomed to carry it with you forever.
While at times it is hard to understand the Russian euphemisms and the history if you are not well-versed, Vodka for Breakfast is still a must-read, if for the endearing humor at the very least.
In David Gurevich’s Vodka for Breakfast, readers are thrown into dramatic waves of incidents one instant and are rescued on boats of laughter the next. Arkady Prikol, the main character of Gurevich’s novel, receives a phone call one day from a ghost of his past, claiming to be an old friend who died 20 years ago.
As Prikol attempts to navigate the rocky waters of his past, readers begin to see that perhaps not everything is behind him. As he searches his memories and surroundings for Timur, his former friend, he relives points of his past that include working for the KGB to create and test LSD and sharing an emotional connection with a woman named Lisa, with whom Timur is also in love with. However, in the end, Lisa is exposed to be someone neither man really truly knows.
Vodka for Breakfast is a well-crafted, insightful novel that leaves readers questioning whether the past is truly in the past or whether, at certain times, you are doomed to carry it with you forever.
While at times it is hard to understand the Russian euphemisms and the history if you are not well-versed, Vodka for Breakfast is still a must-read, if for the endearing humor at the very least.
Want to Read
August 28, 2009The really fascinated me.
Read
December 28, 2011Was utter crap! I could not finish it.
June 28, 2013
Now I just downloaded an excerpt here on Goodreads, which was only 11 pages - But I'd like to tell you my impression!
The story of the book seems okay, though the excerpt didn't really show that in my opinion. I think the book is more for male readers than women, but that's just my impression - Maybe if I read the entire book I'd get a different opinion. But I didn't think the storyline was bad!
So if you think it sounds interesting, I'd give it a shot.
The story of the book seems okay, though the excerpt didn't really show that in my opinion. I think the book is more for male readers than women, but that's just my impression - Maybe if I read the entire book I'd get a different opinion. But I didn't think the storyline was bad!
So if you think it sounds interesting, I'd give it a shot.
Currently Reading
July 1, 2012You've missed the experience of living in the Soviet system? Never mind, it will return one way or another, meanwhile read David Gurevich and be prepared.
April 6, 2013
sorry wasn't feeling the book.
November 4, 2014
This is not an entire book. Falsely presented here. It is poorly written excerpt. Don't bother.
April 27, 2014
“The less people know about you, the longer you live”
firstly... I like this great quote from one of greatest novel i've read...
Prikol’s thoughts on the past – memories of friendship, love, and drug use – have the power to swallow up his present. His old life crashes into his new one, making our window into his average life that much more engaging. With all of that, the end appears to bring the story full-circle, providing good closure for Gurevich’s audience. Like its leading man, the novel itself is uncompromisingly bright and insightful.
firstly... I like this great quote from one of greatest novel i've read...
Prikol’s thoughts on the past – memories of friendship, love, and drug use – have the power to swallow up his present. His old life crashes into his new one, making our window into his average life that much more engaging. With all of that, the end appears to bring the story full-circle, providing good closure for Gurevich’s audience. Like its leading man, the novel itself is uncompromisingly bright and insightful.
Want to Read
June 16, 2013ebook pdf
June 29, 2013
it's ok
Want to Read
November 30, 2009not yet!
November 10, 2022
Excellent book!!!
May 17, 2014
WELL, I HAVE ONLY STARTED BUT IT IS RIVETING..
August 18, 2015
Its fascinating....
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews