Solo Viola by Antoine Volodine (Translated by Lia Swope Mitchell | ARC Review
"But it takes courage to complete the explanation, to say that something instinctive, doubtless inscribed in the genetic heritage of the species, compels the great masses of humanity to condone that which promises desolation and carnage.." Review : A powerful novella set in a fictional world where a variety of characters collide : a mixture of characters from just released prisoners, to circus performers, writers and a string quartet all living under the rule of an authoritarian government and their military heavies, seeking the strange counterbalance of hope in a viola player, whose stunning music just might save them all, if only for a moment. The leader of the Frondists in the novella is typically buffoonish and interchangeable with his henchmen, willing to use racism to mobilise the masses. It’s quite an indictment on the behaviour of people in crowds and the need to chant insulting slogans. ...