Among the Russians: Review

A personal witness narative with the most evocative opening paragraph

Review

This is a gripping account of Thubron’s lone journey by car across the western reaches of the then Soviet Union, grounded in the unique landscape but brought to life by ‘explosive moments of human exchange’. A true traveller, his interaction with the locals is what really counts, and he draws an arresting contrast between the official line fed to visitors and his perception of real life below the surface, as gleaned through chance encounters. For the would-be travel-writer he also identifies two of the fundamentals of the genre, the ‘fresh eyes perspective’ and the importance of timely field notes: ‘I gazed at all this with the passion of a newcomer, and scribbled it in a diary before I should forget the feel of ordinary, important things.’