The Trials and Tribulations of Lucas Lessar by Shauna Seliy

The Trials and Tribulations of Lucas Lessar

Shauna Seliy

This novel focuses on a close-knit immigrant Russian community in a Pennsylvania mining town. It charts the quest of a thirteen-year old boy to find his vanished mother. Although I found the pace of the story quite slow, the characterisation of the eccentric family and neighbours were vivid and engaging enough to keep me engrossed in the book.

Extract
Upstairs, I asked Great-grandfather, 'How'd that big mirror get turned around?'

'You think I did, don't you? How could I? I can't do nothing but sleep and choke on this ghost.'

'It doesn't make sense.'

'You think there's someplace where things are making sense?'
Parallels
  • A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka
  • Black Swan Green by David Mitchell