Name: Novel with cocaine
ISBN: 0810117096

M. Agi͡eev

Novel with cocaine

John Balek

I've been looking foreward to reading this book for a few years. I mean, with a title like Novel With Cocaine who wouldn't. after a year or so looking for a copy in used bookstores I finally found one and not too long after decided to read it.

Novel With Cocaine is the story of a young man in 1910s Russia. He goes through school, has relationships, and finds his way into a cocaine habit. I was most surprised with how modern and contemporary this book feels. While it is definitely a window into the world of pre revolution Russia it also relates to the pure human experience of being an adolescent; going through life and acting out. 

I think that Ageyev is a really skilled writer. He really captures the teenage boy experience of acting out against your parents and being self centered, focusing only on your world. The passages that portray our protagonist, Vadim's, relationship with his mother are painful to read. You can relate to how terrible he is acting and feel the regret of actions of your own life through it. Ageyev also mixes in philosophical pondering with the narrative of the book. Where he looses me is with how these different sections conect into one concise story.

This book is split into four main sections, school, romance, concaine, and reflection. These sections are all interesting in their own manner but they only vaguely tie together. It feels like Ageyev wanted to portray Vadim's fall from grace after school and lost romance as the reason he turns to cocaine but it really didn't connect, at least for me, in the way I think he wanted it to. Honestly you could skip to the cocaine section and not really miss any plot or context for what is going on. 

This book is written in a way that mimicks a journal. This helps explain why these sections and even many chapters feel disconjointed but it doesn't make for a very impactful reading experience. I loved many moments throughout this book but as a whole I really can't say it was that enjoyable. 

As far as Russian classics that I've read, this has been the most most enjoyable and comprehensible one for me. That being said, the lack of an overall cohesive narrative is what really loses points for me.

Novel with cocaine

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