The Innocent by David Szalay

The Innocent Reviews

• 
  Rein

  This is a wonderfully written, lyrical book of remarkable depth and detail. It is told from the point of view of a KGB officer, but with such humane understanding of the circumstances that had made him who he was that we occasionally tend to forget the monstrous character of the regime he served - and the deeds he did, without ever recanting. I also liked its not being a "well-made story" with some details left unexplained, some story lines passing into nowhere, just as they would do in real life - and sounding all the more real for this very reason. Szalay also never judges his characters or moralizes explicitly, which is why the devastating effect of totalitarianism on human soul comes to the fore even more clearly. If you have enjoyed
  The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes, I am quite sure you would like this book as well, especially as it is written from the perspective of the other side.
  
  A few words to fellow readers: if you give a book one star or two commenting that you were "confused by the Russian names" and unfamiliar realities, please consider not demonstrating your self-centered ignorance to the rest of the world. This book is meticulously researched (I only spotted just a couple of inadequacies) and recreates the atmosphere of that sombre epoch really well, to the point that it is almost incredible the author has no personal experience of life under ideological dictatorships. (But being able to really feel the minds of people very different from himself is one of Szalay's fortes, as
  All That Man Is also shows.)
• 
  Sarah Alberts

  This book is about how the development of communism has affected the lives of ordinary Russian people and shaped the national psyche after the 1917 Revolution and before the break up of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991. It is also about episodes in the life of the protagonist.
  
  The protagonist, an official in the MGB (forerunner of the KGB), in 1972 thinks back in 1972 over the past events in his life and types a testimonial of the things that have happened to him over the years later on after the Russian Revolution. There is strong use of symbolism, and criticism of the system by the use of little anecdotes that describe how things were then.
  
  Throughout the novel, the distinct hallmarks of Szalay's writing can be recognised. Cynicism, blankness, bareness, and empty relationships are all there. Also Szalay's black sense of humour shines through. For example our protagonist is listening to the radio and the news reader comments on a visit of Kissinger to Moscow and reads
  
  “...trade. In other words, the integration of the USSR into the international financial system, as a prelude to the re-introduction of free market principles to the soviet economy....”
  Still very hungover, he does not feel strong enough to face this sort of thing and switches off the radio...
  
  I laughed out loud when I read this.
  
  There is some beautiful language written
  
  he lights the stove, the hissing blue teeth, sets the pan over it to make his tea
  and
  The rain falling steadily. Time was so extended, so open-ended.
  and
  It simply lacked the sense of taking place in an isolated oxbow of time.
  and some clouded:
  
  What they did together was still a secret from her family. She had instigated it, one afternoon when they were alone in the flat. Unlike him, she was not a virgin.
  
  It took me two readings to really appreciate the book; on one level the critique of the Russian system, and on another the way Szalay just writes so cleverly and beautifully.
  I enjoyed reading this book and I recommend it to you.
  
  
• 
  Annette

  Extremely moving book about a KGB officer who loses his faith in the communist system. He thinks back across a particular incident that made him falter. At times it can be a little tricky to follow, in the early part of the book but then as a reader I settled down and understood what was going on.
  
  The writing is economical, direct but somehow very evocative, it's why I like David Szalay's books with the exception perhaps of the recent Turbulence. Almost 5 stars.
• 
  Miceál

  It was alright; it was decent. Most of it was very average, and it didn't really have the must-keep-reading quality that brings a book from average to good for me, but it certainly wasn't bad, either. I enjoyed reading it, but I do think that if it wasn't for the fact that I have a strict reading routine I might have put it down and forgotten about it. Thankfully it's the kind of thing that could easily be read in one sitting, so that might not be too much of a problem.
  
  Parts of this book were very well done. Everything about Aleksandr and Irina was utterly heartbreaking: the pointlessness of it, the frustration, the sense of loss. I found the scenes with those two to be very emotional and well-written. I also liked how the main issue at the heart of the book wasn't anything overly groundbreaking or huge -- it was the kind of thing that happened all the time during that period of the Soviet Union's history, thousands and thousands of times, so common that it was seen as utterly normal. The way this book takes a standard example and really delves into the human cost of it is very good.
  
  I wasn't a fan of how the book was laid out, to be honest. I found it very confusing sometimes. At first it seems that the third-person narrative is occurring in the present day, and the type-written first-person narrative is from Aleksandr's memoirs, occasionally taking the form of a letter to (or at least addressed to) one of the people involved (Irina, Ivan, etc). However, as the book progresses this distinction becomes less clear; the third-person narrative also begins to shift around in time, and the lines blur so much that sometimes it wasn't clear when or where the events were occurring. There were also a few clumsy sentences which had me envisioning the wrong person doing something, which was a little frustrating.
  
  Despite this the plot isn't overly complicated, so it's possible to follow along. The writing in other areas is decent, with the exception of the huge chunk of exposition talking about music theory (it makes sense in the book, don't worry) I didn't find myself bored, and the characters are compelling enough. It just didn't quite cross that line into good for me, so I'm solidly neutral.
• 
  Albert Steeg

  A short novel, but one that sets your mind thinking. In it is disappointment on a few levels. The main character starts his schooling and his working career in high hopes and trust in the ideology and himself in living according to this. Through the book you see him becoming a real apparatchik. He sticks to the official line and tries not to be too visual. He is aware how to avoid risks. Later he sees how he can take advantage of things that happen and of people. It all looks very cynical, but he seems not to be aware of that, it's the normal behaviour. It causes his downfall. This is mirrored by the developments in the USSR. Ideology has told the nation they are a sort of superior kind of people because of that very same thing. Disappointments are inevitable on different levels: sports, economics for example. The system and the ideology is constantly watered down and can only lead to their downfall, which is not in the book, but illustrated by the main character who has lost faith in everything and himself. He even has to witness that others have done better while not fit and dedicated to the system. I can imagine that there are problems with the names of people for readers. Russians use pet names. The title is very appropriate: who is really innocent and who is not? Judge this yourself.
• 
  Filip Olšovský

  How can an author of something that brilliant (All that Man Is) write something this average, uninteresting and chaotic? Only rarely you can see some flashes of the brilliant observing qualities you found in Szalay’s later work.
• 
  Mark Joyce

  Occasional flashes of the brilliance of London and the Southeast and All That Man Is but for the most part not in that league. A constant shifting between first and third person is disorientating (not in a good way) and eventually quite grating. This is compounded by the use of lots of Russian patronymics and a slightly contrived linking of the plot to a series of 1972 sporting events involving the USSR. All of that said, there is a passage towards the end that is understatedly heartbreaking and shows what David Szalay is capable of at his best.
• 
  Nick Milinazzo

  A Russian officer reflects on how a case effected him years later. Szalay is one of my new favorite authors, but this piece felt somewhat stilted. There are elements of Patrick McGrath and Dostoevsky here, but it leans too far toward the historical (fiction) without enough human connection. With that being said, his other books are still great
• 
  Bookthesp1

  This appears to be Szalays second book and he seems to have consciously decided to (in part at least) try to write a different sort of book from his award winning novel, London and the South East which I greatly enjoyed. For me this didn't quite work, in part because of a tricksy dual narrative and the confusion of Russian names which meant that although this is a short read any break in perusing it meant I had forgotten who some characters were. The narrative of a KGB officer involved in a somewhat opaque case (and existence) who faces the dilemma of initiating interrogations and arrests as his faith in communist Russia is slowly chipped away. This is crossed referenced against a personal life put under strain and an analysis of the concept of who is innocent and innocence itself under such a system that is blind and myopic about such a concept. As usual with Szalay the male characters are often flawed self doubters and there is a lot going on. Yet the cover quotes try to sell this book as a thriller (which is isn't- Szalay is no Robert Harris) and at times whilst some of the writing is lovely it seems to be going no where in particular, after you have absorbed the central dilemma. Bits of real history are also thrown in as the protagonists doubts about the system are confirmed by the countries own crumbling resolve as it appears to be cowed by the pressure from the capitalist west and suffers defeats and upsets in a number of sporting and political arenas. Fiction writing set in this period always suffers from the dilemma that the real stuff is more compelling and despite a starry and deserved rise as a writer of considerable note, here at least Szalay seems more absorbed in a creative writing exercise. Its a very short novel which suggests that his narrative plan couldn't quite unlock the themes he wanted to explore. However, positives include period flavour in the dour descriptions of life under the various soviet regimes and atmosphere- but if sold as a 'thriller", Szalays publishers are guilty (rather than innocent) as charged.
• 
  Bookthesp1

  This appears to be Szalays second book and he seems to have consciously decided to (in part at least) try to write a different sort of book from his award winning novel, London and the South East which I greatly enjoyed. For me this didn't quite work, in part because of a tricksy dual narrative and the confusion of Russian names which meant that although this is a short read any break in perusing it meant I had forgotten who some characters were. The narrative of a KGB officer involved in a somewhat opaque case (and existence) who faces the dilemma of initiating interrogations and arrests as his faith in communist Russia is slowly chipped away. This is crossed referenced against a personal life put under strain and an analysis of the concept of who is innocent and innocence itself under such a system that is blind and myopic about such a concept. As usual with Szalay the male characters are often flawed self doubters and there is a lot going on. Yet the cover quotes try to sell this book as a thriller (which is isn't- Szalay is no Robert Harris) and at times whilst some of the writing is lovely it seems to be going no where in particular, after you have absorbed the central dilemma. Bits of real history are also thrown in as the protagonists doubts about the system are confirmed by the countries own crumbling resolve as it appears to be cowed by the pressure from the capitalist west and suffers defeats and upsets in a number of sporting and political arenas. Fiction writing set in this period always suffers from the dilemma that the real stuff is more compelling and despite a starry and deserved rise as a writer of considerable note, here at least Szalay seems more absorbed in a creative writing exercise. Its a very short novel which suggests that his narrative plan couldn't quite unlock the themes he wanted to explore. However, positives include period flavour in the dour descriptions of life under the various soviet regimes and atmosphere- but if sold as a 'thriller", Szalays publishers are guilty (rather than innocent) as charged.
  
• 
  James

  I like Szalay's writing, particularly his style, and so this was very disappointing. I never felt that the author developed the characters enough to give them a personality, and the scenes changed too quickly. When I got to the end, I just wondered, well what was the point of the story?
  
  Andrey was part of the KGB and its prior incarnations, and when tasked with obtaining a doctor's permission for a second opinion on a possible Nazi-sympathising patient, the medic's refusal sets in motion a series of events. The problem was that each link in the chain was all too brief, and it seemed that events just happened, rather than followed smoothly from one another - there was rarely any tension as to what would happen next.
  
  The setting was plausible and appeared to be well-researched, and I did feel like I was in Soviet Russia, but this was the main positive of the book - the plot wasn't engrossing and the supporting cast are just names, with little emotional interaction. The natures of the protagonist's relationships seemed to change without the initial setting made clear, and later events were akin to non-sequiturs. If the blurb is correct and the narrator questions his views on Russia, they were too sophisticated for me, and the almost comedic dialogue in Szalay's other books wasn't present in this one, which was tonally quite different, and not for the better.
• 
  Clive Lillie

  Set in Communist Russias changing faces from the 20s to 1972, the novel follows its protagonist in a journey of reflection and regret. Starkly yet smartly described period detail, evoking the cold yet forensic style of the KGBs operatives and its predecessor.
  
  Really enjoyed the writers style in immersing you in both the depth of his main characters and the era's they ultimately depict. My only criticism was a writing style that sometimes introduced new characters with no back story or real future in the plot, sometimes confusing the (english) reader with the many Russian names and their deviations .
  
  My second book read from this author, and I plan to read more. Good, researched themes with addictive characters
• 
  Virgil-Mihai

  I will be honest and (will try to keep it) short.
  I read all Szalay's other books, which I enjoyed greatly. His latest, "Turbulence" is indeed a little masterpiece. But, God!, "The Innocent" was awful. Though short in pages, it felt painfully long. Too many characters, way too poorly introduced to the reader, too many details that keep the reader unfocused, to difficult to follow, with strange jumps in time, and a very shifty narrative. There were whole passages when we read about a 'he' or a 'she' without knowing who they refer to.
  I am really sorry to give just one star.
• 
  Stuart Gordon

  Interesting insight into the mind of a Soviet aparactchik and the history of Soviet Russia after the revolution. More a series of scenes, centering on one protagonist, than a novel.
• 
  Andy

  Haven't finished this yet but 5/5 for writing style, Szalay is my boy!
• 
  Andrew

  A short book (under 200 pages) but packed full of interesting threads. It is not however a light read as it touches on the Soviet regime post second world war and how events in 1948 still impact on the individuals involved twenty five years on.
  It also captures the bizarre machinations of the Soviets as a person viewed as a risk necessitating exile to a camp suddenly 15 years later is viewed differently and the minor officers responsible for carrying out the regimes are then held responsible.
  The book also is very good about personal relations at the time; particularly about trust from the risk that a diary can be and whether a lover can be trusted not to read it, to whether a wife can trust her husband when he swears a friendship with another woman is nothing more.
  The story itself has two settings. in 1948 Aleksandr is a MGB (KGB) officer who has to interrogate a brain damaged former pianist now secured in a psychiatric hospital, it is unclear whether as a former threat to the state during the Stalinist purge years in the 30's he is genuinely brian damaged as his clinician says or putting it on. A request to move him creates an internal conflict in the KGB and the ramifications impact on Aleksandrs personal life. Twenty five years on and retired as the country is gripped by the Munich Olympics and a humiliating defeat of the national football team Aleksandr reflects on the events and their consequences.
  I'm not sure where I heard about David Szalay, although noticed recently his new novel feted in the Guardian summer read recommendations , but I found this story interesting well written and an interesting insight into the period. It captured the place and feeling of suspicion very well and he is a writer that I will try again. However as fairly bleak and at times a bit confusing as to exactly who everyone is at first read it may not be to everyone's taste.
• 
  Varun Bhakay

  There are usually books one likes and those one doesn’t like. And then there’s the third kind, which are on the fence, the two stars of five on Goodreads, if you please. That’s pretty much how I’d describe David Szalay’s The Innocent, whose premise is beautiful, which really works wonders in places, but is just as unremarkable in a lot of places. It’s a tedious read, even though the pages number just 192. The protagonist is a former MVD (the KGB’s predecessor) officer and a Stalinist in 70s USSR, where his idol’s “legacy” has been desecrated by those who followed him into office. The novel deals primarily with a case in the protagonist’s career which changed his life. More about the life of the protagonist than a plot in particular, the book meanders off quite a bit and doesn’t dig deep into its characters. My assumption is that the author was going for a more distant, subtle style of narrative, and there’s no doubt that the writing is skilful, but the book just doesn’t come together.
  
  More at
  Varun Oak-Bhakay's Writer's Block
• 
  Sukumar Honkote

  This book shows an ex- KGB agent in a human form instead of the evil killer image that western thrillers have imprinted in our heads. It shows the internal conflict the character faces while executing KGB's 'big brother' type of orders. A good portrayal of his interactions with other characters fighting emotional demons. But at the end of the book I have not been able to connect or understand the character. The incidents shown in the story give different facets of the character but they do not complete his picture. Its also difficult to understand why particular scenes/incidents have been included. Final verdict: a good short read but could have been better.
• 
  Adam Johnson

  All together not bad, bit confusing at times, good insite into the russian tradition of secret police organisations, worth a read if you enjoy a serious russian read.
• 
  Samantha

  Read the first three chapters and didn't really get a feel for the book unfortunately so have given up and taken it back tithe library
• 
  Adam Morris

  Confusing - all those Russian names!
• 
  Anne Kadet

  Like reading a very strange Soviet dream.
• 
  Henry

  Interesting back drop but found it difficult to engage with the characters