REVIEW: Osolin’s Duck charges into politics

Olav Osolin is not embittered by politics. He observes the world calmly and ironically, while looking behind the scenes of power. As a novelist, he has developed considerably since his first book.

His latest plot twists and turns like a worm on a hook, making its next moves difficult to predict. The author has clearly mastered the plot twist and keeps readers engaged through the final pages. Revealing much of the story would risk spoiling the pleasure of reading it.

The European Parliament elections form the center of “Duck Flies into Politics,” giving Osolin a broad landscape for mocking the hidden workings of Estonian political life. The novel takes aim at rumors, politicians, political busybodies and, above all, the advertising machine surrounding elections.

Its lesson is pointed: election results are made by advertising professionals, particularly the wizards of social media, rather than by politicians and their frantic maneuvering.