Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
Mar. 7th, 2009 10:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
When fear silences a nation, one man must speak the truth.
The Soviet Union, 1953.
Stalin's iron grip is at its tightest, enforced by the Ministry of State Security - a secret police force whose brutality is no secret at all. Under its regime, people are commanded to believe that crime simply does not exist.
But when the body of a young boy is discovered on train tracks in Moscow, Officer Leo Demidov - a war hero, utterly dedicated to the Ministry - is surprised to hear that the boy's family is convinced it was murder. Leo's superiors order him to ignore this and he is obliged to obey. But something in him knows there is more.
Sensing his doubts, the Ministry threatens Leo, giving him no choice but to turn his back on his once-beloved Party. Disgraced, exiled with his wife Raisa to a town deep in the Ural Mountains, Leo realises that the crime he helped cover up in the capital has happened here too.
The murder of another child.
Risking everything, Leo and Raisa will pursue a horrifying killer - even if doing so makes them enemies of the State ...
Longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2008, this is a historical crime thriller set in the dying days of Stalin’s reign.
Leo Demidov is a dedicated officer in the Moscow MGB with a glittering future ahead of him. When the body of a young boy is found near a railway line, Leo’s superiors order him to convince the family that he died in an accident and was not, as they claim, murdered. Leo does so, even though the boy’s father – a fellow MGB officer – has found a witness who saw the boy being led away by a man, but who is too scared to report it. The evidence begins to make Leo doubt the Communist regime’s claim that there is no crime in Russia, but he puts aside his doubts when a rivalry with fellow MGB officer, Vasili Nikiyin, causes him to run foul of the MGB’s internal political machinations and he and his wife, Raisa, are exiled in disgrace to an industrial town in the Ural Mountains where they discover that more child murders have occurred, all of which bear the hallmarks of the boy’s murder in Moscow. Sensing a chance for redemption, Leo decides to investigate, even though doing so risks his own life and that of his wife.
There are some excellent scenes within this novel. In particular, the opening chapter, which follows two boys hunting a cat during the 1933 famine, is stark and brutal, with the tension building to a horrifying conclusion. Smith also does well to portray the sense of mistrust pervading relationships in Stalin’s Russia as Leo watches friends and family member rush to denounce each other and is eventually forced to question his own marriage with Raisa.
Unfortunately, the novel is held back by a central character who frequently defies credibility and a plot that jumps the shark half way through. For an experienced and dedicated MGB officer who has supposedly seen it all, Leo is shockingly naive. Not only does he seem surprised that the MGB may not actually be acting in the best interests of the people, but he also takes a long time to question the methods used by the regime. As a counterpoint to Leo’s honourable intentions there is Vasili, a brutal and ambitious officer, jealous of Leo’s success and determined to bring him down. Vasili never rises above the two-dimensional and his dogged pursuit of Leo and Raisa is purely there to move the plot along.
The identity of the murderer is revealed about three-quarters of the way through, but their motivation is at best, weak and at worst, completely unconvincing. Also unconvincing is the role that Stalin’s death plays in Leo’s fortunes - Smith has carefully structured the novel so that the death acts as a pivot, but as a device it’s a little too convenient and its role as a ‘get out of jail’ card seems a little too trite. Also trite is the set-up for the sequel, which involves Leo and Raisa adopting the daughters of a man who died as a result of one of Leo’s investigations.
Strictly speaking the novel should include the use of patronyms, but this was not an omission that I missed. I’m in two minds as to whether I would read the sequel. Although the concept of setting a crime thriller in this period of history is different and interesting, the plots really need to be more believable to sustain my interest and I need Leo to show some of the political savvy that he really should have given his background.
The Verdict:
A great concept is let down by poor execution and very poor characterisation. Although the period of history is fascinating and provides a great deal of scope for truly thrilling crime drama, without believable characters and a credible plot, it will never fulfil its potential.
The Soviet Union, 1953.
Stalin's iron grip is at its tightest, enforced by the Ministry of State Security - a secret police force whose brutality is no secret at all. Under its regime, people are commanded to believe that crime simply does not exist.
But when the body of a young boy is discovered on train tracks in Moscow, Officer Leo Demidov - a war hero, utterly dedicated to the Ministry - is surprised to hear that the boy's family is convinced it was murder. Leo's superiors order him to ignore this and he is obliged to obey. But something in him knows there is more.
Sensing his doubts, the Ministry threatens Leo, giving him no choice but to turn his back on his once-beloved Party. Disgraced, exiled with his wife Raisa to a town deep in the Ural Mountains, Leo realises that the crime he helped cover up in the capital has happened here too.
The murder of another child.
Risking everything, Leo and Raisa will pursue a horrifying killer - even if doing so makes them enemies of the State ...
Longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2008, this is a historical crime thriller set in the dying days of Stalin’s reign.
Leo Demidov is a dedicated officer in the Moscow MGB with a glittering future ahead of him. When the body of a young boy is found near a railway line, Leo’s superiors order him to convince the family that he died in an accident and was not, as they claim, murdered. Leo does so, even though the boy’s father – a fellow MGB officer – has found a witness who saw the boy being led away by a man, but who is too scared to report it. The evidence begins to make Leo doubt the Communist regime’s claim that there is no crime in Russia, but he puts aside his doubts when a rivalry with fellow MGB officer, Vasili Nikiyin, causes him to run foul of the MGB’s internal political machinations and he and his wife, Raisa, are exiled in disgrace to an industrial town in the Ural Mountains where they discover that more child murders have occurred, all of which bear the hallmarks of the boy’s murder in Moscow. Sensing a chance for redemption, Leo decides to investigate, even though doing so risks his own life and that of his wife.
There are some excellent scenes within this novel. In particular, the opening chapter, which follows two boys hunting a cat during the 1933 famine, is stark and brutal, with the tension building to a horrifying conclusion. Smith also does well to portray the sense of mistrust pervading relationships in Stalin’s Russia as Leo watches friends and family member rush to denounce each other and is eventually forced to question his own marriage with Raisa.
Unfortunately, the novel is held back by a central character who frequently defies credibility and a plot that jumps the shark half way through. For an experienced and dedicated MGB officer who has supposedly seen it all, Leo is shockingly naive. Not only does he seem surprised that the MGB may not actually be acting in the best interests of the people, but he also takes a long time to question the methods used by the regime. As a counterpoint to Leo’s honourable intentions there is Vasili, a brutal and ambitious officer, jealous of Leo’s success and determined to bring him down. Vasili never rises above the two-dimensional and his dogged pursuit of Leo and Raisa is purely there to move the plot along.
The identity of the murderer is revealed about three-quarters of the way through, but their motivation is at best, weak and at worst, completely unconvincing. Also unconvincing is the role that Stalin’s death plays in Leo’s fortunes - Smith has carefully structured the novel so that the death acts as a pivot, but as a device it’s a little too convenient and its role as a ‘get out of jail’ card seems a little too trite. Also trite is the set-up for the sequel, which involves Leo and Raisa adopting the daughters of a man who died as a result of one of Leo’s investigations.
Strictly speaking the novel should include the use of patronyms, but this was not an omission that I missed. I’m in two minds as to whether I would read the sequel. Although the concept of setting a crime thriller in this period of history is different and interesting, the plots really need to be more believable to sustain my interest and I need Leo to show some of the political savvy that he really should have given his background.
The Verdict:
A great concept is let down by poor execution and very poor characterisation. Although the period of history is fascinating and provides a great deal of scope for truly thrilling crime drama, without believable characters and a credible plot, it will never fulfil its potential.
