The Silver Bone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Silver Bone is a historical mystery novel by Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov. Originally published in Ukraine in 2020 as Samson and Nadezhda (Russian: Самсон и Надежда), it was translated from Russian by Boris Dralyuk and published in English by MacLehose Press in 2024.[1] It is the first novel in Kurkov's Kyiv Mysteries series.[2] The English translation was longlisted for the 2024 International Booker Prize.[3]
Reception
The English translation received positive reviews. In The Guardian, Luke Harding praised the novel's black humour, historical detail and portrait of Kyiv in upheaval.[4] In The Washington Post, Linda Kinstler highlighted its surreal elements and its treatment of an overlooked period in Ukrainian history.[2] Publishers Weekly gave the novel a starred review and praised its attention to the details of wartime life in Kyiv.[5] The magazine later included it in its list of the best mystery books of 2024.[6]
