The Yellow Arrow (New Directions Paperbook, 845)

The Yellow Arrow (New Directions Paperbook, 845)

<p><strong>Set during the advent of <em>perestroika</em>, a surreal, satirical novella by a critically acclaimed young Russian writer traces the fate of the passengers on <em>The Yellow Arrow</em>, a long-distance Russian train headed for a ruined bridge, a train without an end or a beginning--and it makes no stops. Andrei, the mystic passenger, less and less lulled by the never-ending sound of the wheels, has begun to look for a way to get off. But life in the carriages goes on as always. This important young Russian author's first American translation garnered rave reviews.</strong></p> The main character, Andrei, is a passenger aboard the Yellow Arrow, who begins to despair over the trains ultimate destination and looks for a way out as the chapters count down. Indifferent to their fate, the other passengers carry on as usual ― trading in nickel melted down fro the carriage doors, attending the Upper Bunk avant-garde theatre, and leafing through Pasternak’s <em>Early Trains</em>. Pelevin's art lies in the ease with which he shifts from precisely imagined science fiction to lyrical meditations on past and future. And, because he is a natural storyteller with a wonderfully absurd imagination. <em>The Yellow Arrow</em> is full of the ridiculous and the sublime. It is a reflective story, chilling and gripping.<br />