Not a Book Review —

Really…It’s a “thank you” note to an author:

I finally found a character in a book that I could relate to — this hasn’t happened since I reread Little Women as a teenager.

Her name is Janina Duszejko, an elderly woman living in a hamlet in Poland. Janina is a part time ESL teacher for the local school and she also keeps a check during the harsh Polish winter on the local vacation cottages in the area. She and a former student meet weekly to translate William Blake’s work into Polish. She lives alone, has “Ailments,” and mourns the loss of her two beloved dogs. She’s a loner who silently gives appropriate (in her view) names to her neighbors and erstwhile friends (Big Foot, Good News, Odd Ball..) because it’s just easier for her to remember.

The title of the book could be a bit off-putting if you’re just browsing the stacks: Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead. You might wonder what genre it could be: horror, thriller, mystery, fantasy? Or could it be a mashup of all of them.

What it is is a Man Booker International Award Winning book that I couldn’t put down.

Th title is from a Blake poem, Proverbs of Hell:

In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
Drive your cart and your plow over the bones of the dead.

I love Janina — she and I have much in common. She’s strong-willed and independent — as I hope I am. However, after several murders in the small village, she’s developed a…