“This short novel shows us one day in the life of a gulag prisoner. The unforgiving landscape of Siberia, the apathetic cruelty of the prison administration, and the harsh and yet strangely human economy of the prisoner community, all combine to present a disconcerting picture. Yet what is the most interesting aspect of Solzhenitsyn's novel is the way in which our protagonist, Ivan Shukhov, has become completely accustomed to this life, which he has accepted as his fate, and all but written off the possibility of his eventual release. Given his unlucky lot, Shukohv has become well-adapted to gulag routine, is easily pleased, and even takes pride in the physical labor he completes. In a way, if it were not for the inhuman setting of this novel, I would be tempted to say that Shukohv is a model for how a man might find contentment in the most desperate straits. As it is, the book -- at the same time as being an indictment of the Russian government under Stalin (the gulag system was still going on when the book was first published) -- serves to show the durability and longsuffering that we are all capable of. It is a sobering book, and an engaging one. ”
Michael wrote this review Tuesday, August 4 2009.
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