Wolves and Bears

• Anyone who loves Wodehouse will understand my delight—the language is delicious. You want to re-read every phrase, speak it aloud, roll it around on your tongue, and savor it all over again. The premise itself is anything but cliché (which alone commands respect for the author, as inventing something fresh nowadays is impossibly difficult); you might love it or find it grating, but... it is an absolute must-read. Not meant for those seeking light reading, though there are remarkably funny lines, very much in the spirit of English humor.

• For those who successfully made their way through the philological thickets of "Shchastye" and were delighted with the outcome. For those whose primary criterion for judging a book is not merely the plot thread. About politics, about corruption, about freedom, and about making sense of the world.

• On the one hand, "Wolves and Bears" continues "Shchastye" with a recurring cast of characters, the familiar persona of the narrator-protagonist, and the reality of a Russian-style dystopia that is quite demanding for the uninitiated reader. Or rather, a Saint Petersburg-style dystopia—and Petersburg is not Russia, children.

• Those who love beautiful literary language will absolutely adore it. I've been quoting it ever since it came out, rethinking life situations through its lens and waiting—with a dusty bookmark and a stray coin—waiting for a sequel, though apparently in vain. "Wolves and Bears" is a complex narrative that is a pure pleasure to read.

• The novel is intensely literary. Even poetry turns out to be an effective way to destroy the enemy. A witty and enjoyable book. Glad that "Wolves and Bears" won the "National Bestseller" this year.

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