The People's Act Of Love - Tapa dura

"A big, bold, thrillingly different story told with uncanny authority. Meek understands the horrific power of evil, but he never looses his sense of humour of his affection for those odd moments of grace that keep the human heat alive." Michel Faber "The People's Act of Love is just extraordinary. Comparable with Kafka, with Moorcock and with the Russian classics, James Meek has done something unique here: by turns gruesome, beguiling and beautiful. This is January and I know I've found my novel of the year." Alan Warner"

Siberia 1919. In the outer reaches of a country recently torn apart by civil war live a small Christian sect and its enigmatic leader, Balashov. Stationed nearby is a regiment of Czech soldiers, desperate to get home but on the losing side if the recent conflict. Uncertainty prevails. Into this isolated community trudges Samarin, an escapee from Russia's northernmost gulag. Immediately apprehended, he is brought before Captain Matula, the regiment's megalomaniac commander. But the stranger's arrival gas also caught the attention of others, including Anna, a beautiful young war widow. And when the local Shaman lies dead, suspicion and terror engulf the little town...James Meek's novel is a breathtaking contemporary fable staged against one if the most remote landscapes on earth. The remarkable cast of characters and Meek's uncanny ability to evoke the period bring to mind the work of the great Russian masters. The People's Act of Love is a magnificent piece of storytelling, an unforgettable novel and a deeply satisfying read.