Book Express

Monsieur Ka by Vesna Goldsworthy

Some books require of the reader some specific advance knowledge. Before starting Monsieur Ka it is necessary to know Tolstoy’s great novel, Anna Karenina, and also to have a reasonable grasp of what happened in Europe between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries. For the reader armed in this way, Monsieur Ka is a delight.
The story is set in England in 1947 and all of the main characters are dislocated Europeans who have washed up in London during the preceding chaotic decades. The past is overwhelming and the future is uncertain, so there is considerable intensity to peoples’ relationships. And the shadow of Anna Karenina hovers over everything.