Dog Park - Sofi Oksanen Fiction, 348 pages In the dawn of the post-Soviet era in Ukraine exists a thriving market for the female body, in particular healthy women with child-bearing capabilities. Olenka, the narrator of Dog Park, is an employee at one of the most reputable firms for such business, and her job is to recruit vulnerable women, have them undergo extensive medical testing, and then match them with wealthy couples. The commodification of the surrogates and egg donors is legal and yet operates in a dubious ethical space within the capitalist world, in which the heavy emotional and physical burden these women are subjected to is assuaged by the hefty sum they are paid. Flashing forward to 2016, Olenka has moved to Helsinki, Finland, having left the industry after a mysterious conflict threatens her life. She spends her days sitting in a dog park, watching a family whose children readers learn are her own. One day while sitting in the park, a woman sits next to Olenka that brings her back to her past in Ukraine and the dangerous mistakes that were made. I thought this book had a lot of potential, particularly given the uniqueness of the plot. Unfortunately, however, I felt like Oksanen was so focused on drawing out the elements of the story's mystery that she added too many twists, neglecting to fully flesh out the complicated lives of her characters that allow the book to move forward.
Nice review of Silverview, which I finished last month. A fitting end to the le Carre catalogue though it did lack the punch I'd come to expect. My wife is starting Disorientation soon!
Nice review of Silverview, which I finished last month. A fitting end to the le Carre catalogue though it did lack the punch I'd come to expect. My wife is starting Disorientation soon!