Review: Russian state TV propaganda infiltrates a mother's mind in "Ryska specialiteter"

Dmitriy Kapitelman's novel "Ryska specialiteter" (Russian Specialties) delves into the complex relationship between Russia and Ukraine, examining how propaganda and conflict shape identity and familial bonds. The narrative centers on a narrator who, after being born in Kyiv, moves with his Russian-speaking family to Leipzig, Germany. The story also revisits Kyiv years after the full-scale invasion began.

The novel attempts to portray the corrosive effect of Russian state television propaganda on the narrator's mother and the broader impact on everyday language and conversation. It highlights the struggle of individuals, particularly those who have spoken Russian their entire lives, to navigate their Ukrainian identity amidst the war. Some people in Kyiv are depicted as actively replacing Russian with Ukrainian, while the narrator feels trapped by the war's language, unable to find refuge in Ukrainian.

However, the review suggests that despite these compelling themes, the novel falters in its execution. The reviewer argues that the book's exploration of linguistic and moral breakdowns leaves the reader feeling detached. The central metaphor of breaking up linoleum to reveal a parquet floor, representing the destruction of the Soviet legacy and the assertion of Ukrainian nationhood, is noted, but the reviewer feels the novel doesn't fully commit to its own narrative or emotional trajectory.

Specifically, the review points out that the character of the mother, arguably the most interesting figure, is not fully developed. Her descent into what might appear as madness is not explored in sufficient depth, leaving the reader at a distance from her internal struggles. The novel's depiction of the Bucha massacre is also mentioned, with the reviewer feeling that the narrative doesn't adequately capture the horror or its implications, ultimately failing to do justice to the "burning and consuming experience" it seeks to represent.