Review: The Good Life Elsewhere

The Good Life Elsewhere by Vladimir Lorchenkov
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was scanning my shelves for books set in Eastern Europe and found this gem - by a Moldovan author and set in Moldova. It's after the dissolution of the USSR and the people in a town feel like the only way to move forward is to get to Italy, but without money or opportunities it's easier said than done. Lots of funny moments, surprising darkness, and a new Crusade for modern times.

The humor is pretty slapstick in a situation that's already funny for satirical reasons so it may not be everyone's taste, especially since some of the punchlines involve domestic abuse and, well, murder. You get used to it.

Here's a tiny example of the humor:
"He ran unabashedly, like a woman who's not embarrassed to show a strange man her underarm."

I think I got a copy of this back when New Vessel Press was first promoting their books, and I'm not sure if they gave this to me or if I bought it but just in case, they may have sent it to me! Obviously I didn't read it when it came out since that was 2014, and my opinions are as ever my own. I do think someone there has a sense of humor because I remember another funny novel from them - Some Day

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