The Good Life Elsewhere by Vladimir Lorchenkov

The Good Life Elsewhere

Vladimir Lorchenkov

A dark humour runs through this tale of an impoverished Moldavian community seeking the utopia of Italy. Comedic elements creep in which made me smile despite the serious undercurrent of the story. A cast of characters attempt increasingly farcical ways of reaching Italy: the land of promise and opportunity. As soon as one attempt is thwarted, another hare-brained scheme is hatched.

Extract
Italy is neither heaven nor hell for the local peasants. It’s simply a fairytale land, where little honey islets dot the rivers, floating on waves of milk, and Swiss cheese cliffs hang over everything.
Parallels
  • The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota
  • Christ's Entry into Brussels by Dimitri Verhulst