"The Dream Life of Sukhanov", a novel

by Olga Grushin

In mid-1980s Moscow Sukhanov is a 50-something-old Soviet aparatchik, who was once a promising painter, but sold his talent for more in-line job of an art critic and editor-in-chief of a Soviet's prominent art magazine. He is so unconscious in his role that he doesn't detect subtle changes in Soviet Union which is slowly opening up to the rest of the world. Subsequently, he loses his job and his family.

Throughout the book Sukhanov has flashes of memories from his childhood onward and he re-lives them almost like in a dream. The third person narration in those moments turns into the first person account of his thoughts, feelings and events from his past. As Sukhanov deteriorates, the book culminates somewhere between the memories, dreams, hallucinations and twisted reality.

The author, Olga Grushin, is a recent immigrant from Russia who lives in the USA. Her command of English language is astonishing. Although on a few occasions her descriptions seem almost too rich for the story she's telling, it is a captivating read.