Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv

This wonderful romp of a novel by one of Ukraine's most pioneering authors is funny and sinister at the same time. The novel is set in Lviv, in the heartland of Ukraine- one of the most beautiful cities in Eastern Europe. The cast of characters is breezy and lighthearted and at the same time dramatic in the background of some unknown sense of terror reminiscent of the 60's Hitchcock thriller The Birds starring Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor in the lead roles. There is a continual sense of unease throughout the novel. The 'anomalous' weather becomes a nuisance in more instances than one with mad seagulls attacking humans and the bizarre but earthly smell of the sea (even though Lviv is miles away from the Black Sea coast) to a vagrant sailor dressed in tatters who induces symptoms of seasickness in humans. At the same time, the novel sets a theme of cultural reference in the novel with the reminiscences of the records of Jimi Hendrix and about the rumored last concert he was going to perform in Lviv. Besides that, there is a grave in Lychakiv, Ukraine where the rumored right hand of the legendary guitarist rests with the help of some Lithuanian friends and the CIA. In this aspect, he resembles a lot with Mikhail Gigolashvili whose novels (written in Russian) lays down pop culture as one of its major themes.Other readers might say that the novel should be taken too seriously and it has its loose ends (and that it did not deserve to make it to the Booker International Longlist for 2023). But, most apparently, it was penned down by the author on the invitation of the mayor of Lviv himself, and the narrative is told with a lot of verve and energy, is fast-paced, and at the same time maintains uniformity in the atmosphere throughout. The characters are diverse and very likable and range from an ex-KGB officer to an aging hippy to one who makes a living driving kidney-stone patients over cobblestones in his ancient Opel Vectra and soon thinking of marrying his girlfriend. They might be funny and ridiculous but at the same time very enjoyable.An exciting and well-paced read, highly recommended!

Late night in a cemetery in Lviv, western Ukraine, one night in 2011. A group of elderly hippies are gathered round an unmarked (and probably illegal) grave. After a glass or three of vodka, they share their love of the American rock star Jimi Hendrix, whose hand, saved post mortem, is buried in the little plot. Then they are joined by an unexpected figure, KGB Captain Ryabtsev. The welcome is chilly, until the KGB man explains that the Hendrix hand is in Ukraine because the KGB brought it there - “when I first came to visit you, I was meant to plant narcotics. To remove you from society. But it was so cosy here … I couldn't bring myself to destroy your world.”Meanwhile, Taras, a self-educated freelance paramedic, is starting his nightly shift by welcoming his first kidney stone sufferer of the week to his badly-sprung Opel Vectra. For the next two or three hours he'll drive the patient round the cobbled and pothole-ridden streets of Lviv, until the vibration shuffles the offending object down its normal route to the point where the patient can get out of the car and release the stone. Taras then drains off the liquid, adds the stone to his collection, and exchanges his fee from dollars to the local currency, which allows him to meet Darka, who is strangely allergic to money, which brings her out in a rash. Thus his life unfolds, with the encounters with rich ailing Poles funding his growing affection for DarkaMeanwhile – again – Alik Olisevych, from the hippies, develops a strange friendship with the KGB man who might have put him in prison, and the book floats from one story to the other in a dreamy way where the surreal is part of everyday life, and everyday life seems surreal as a matter of course. For example - why does Lviv, nearly 1000 kilometers from the sea, behave like a seaside resort ? “The air smelled of iodine, of the sea, of rotting seaweed on the beach. A sharp bird cry, like that of a seagull, dropped from the sky above.” Could it be true, as Ryabtsev insists, that the ancient Carpathian Sea is about to rise again from beneath the streets to swamp the beautiful houses and grand buildings of the historic city ?Written in 2017, this book has only just been published in English. Longlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize, it sadly didn't make it to the final. I've only mentioned four of a great jumble of characters who live their overlapping ramshackle lives in Lviv – the alcoholic hairdresser who has designs on the retired actress who is friends with the kidney-stone specialist, the self-important novelist whose characters are closer to him than his real hippy friends, the specialist in the paranormal who recruits Alik to try to explain the seaside phenomena, and the crew of the centre which offers food, showers and fresh clothing to Lviv's down-and-outs and are on the lookout for yet more volunteers. Somehow, the threads are knitted together into a happy ending (even if the seaside atmosphere is resolved in a way worthy of Ionesco).If it's true that Kurkov has not written any fiction since the 'military operation' began and perhaps won't write any more until the operation ends – then, speed the day.(This review originally appeared in the Chesil Magazine, Dorset)

The cast of characters in Andrey Kurkov’s ‘Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv’ all have roots in Soviet society. The characterisations live on, but the characters seem lost in post-Soviet space. The former KGB captain Ryabtsev with his yellow Piaggio scooter keeps many results from his past as a surveillance spy. Taras in his beaten up Opel services Polish demand for his eccentric services. Darka runs the all-night currency exchange. Polish pearls heal her allergic reaction to money. Aspiring actresses, hairdressers, novelists, anachronistic hippies, abound. The whole community is troubled by a metaphysical presence with strange manifestations. Kurkov deploys a wry sense of humour to render this tragicomedy. It’s funny, but it’s sad. For some it’s close to their truth.

Great work from Ukraine's best known writer. His status can not be underestimated. Also read the fantastic novels about bees and a penguin.

Arrived on time in good condition. I am only part way through but it is as good as his penguin novel.

I saw this book in Waterstones, I read the inside cover and thought this sounds like something right up my street, maybe I misunderstood the whole thing, but some parts were amusing and ok, but I really don’t understand what it was really about?? But don’t let that put you off reading it, maybe someone can explain shat I missed.