What do you think?
Rate this book
Minus
Minus is a story of a trapped soul desperately trying to change his life. Senchin paints a graphic picture of post-Soviet Russia and tells you what no guidebook can, each character representing thousands of people living their lives in small villages and towns devastated by the perestroika chaos.
Minus is a nickname for Minusinsk, a town in Siberia where Senchin lived in the 1990s, the time of the emerging market economy that hit ordinary people hardest and left many of them out of work. This autobiographical novel describes a group of disillusioned young people who have no more fighting spirit left and whose only consolation is drink and drugs. In contrast, their parents, the generation of the romantic 1960s, are depicted as survivors against all odds, although often that means abandoning their professions to take up menial jobs, grow their own food or go into street trade. Another contrast is provided by the vigorous backstage life of the local drama theater where the protagonist works as a stagehand.
Senchin excels at a highly visual, almost photographic portrayal of people and events, including the local history and a wealth of ethnographic details. The reader inevitably feels drawn into the life of this provincial Siberian town with its glorious past and bleak present.
Every generation produces a number of literary texts portraying "a hero of our time." Senchin's brilliant novel is just such a book about today's generation of disillusioned young people in their late twenties and early thirties.
Minus is a nickname for Minusinsk, a town in Siberia where Senchin lived in the 1990s, the time of the emerging market economy that hit ordinary people hardest and left many of them out of work. This autobiographical novel describes a group of disillusioned young people who have no more fighting spirit left and whose only consolation is drink and drugs. In contrast, their parents, the generation of the romantic 1960s, are depicted as survivors against all odds, although often that means abandoning their professions to take up menial jobs, grow their own food or go into street trade. Another contrast is provided by the vigorous backstage life of the local drama theater where the protagonist works as a stagehand.
Senchin excels at a highly visual, almost photographic portrayal of people and events, including the local history and a wealth of ethnographic details. The reader inevitably feels drawn into the life of this provincial Siberian town with its glorious past and bleak present.
Every generation produces a number of literary texts portraying "a hero of our time." Senchin's brilliant novel is just such a book about today's generation of disillusioned young people in their late twenties and early thirties.
- GenresRussia
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 8, 2008
36 people want to read
About the author
Roman Senchin
53 books17 followersRU: Роман Сенчин
Roman Senchin was born in Siberia in 1971 where he subsequently grew up. Having completed his engineering studies he then went on to study at a Moscow literature institute where he still lectures today. His prose has made him one of the most prominent exponents of "New Realism". His works have so far been translated into German, French and a number of other languages. Roman Senchin lives in Moscow.
Awards: 2010 Short list Big Book Award
2010 Short list National Bestseller
2009 Short list Russian Booker Prize
Sold to: France/ Noir sur Blanc
Hungary/ Europa
Netherlands/ Douane
Poland/ Noir sur Blanc
Serbia/ Samizdat, Бернар
Sweden/ Bonnier
Roman Senchin was born in Siberia in 1971 where he subsequently grew up. Having completed his engineering studies he then went on to study at a Moscow literature institute where he still lectures today. His prose has made him one of the most prominent exponents of "New Realism". His works have so far been translated into German, French and a number of other languages. Roman Senchin lives in Moscow.
Awards: 2010 Short list Big Book Award
2010 Short list National Bestseller
2009 Short list Russian Booker Prize
Sold to: France/ Noir sur Blanc
Hungary/ Europa
Netherlands/ Douane
Poland/ Noir sur Blanc
Serbia/ Samizdat, Бернар
Sweden/ Bonnier
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.