Bride and Groom
Ratings2
Average rating4
15
Ratings2
Average rating4
Runner-up for 2015 Russian Booker Prize. From one of the most exciting voices in modern Russian literature, Alisa Ganieva, comes Bride and Groom, the tumultuous love story of two young city-dwellers who meet when they return home to their families in rural Dagestan. When traditional family expectations and increasing religious and cultural tension threaten to shatter their bond, Marat and Patya struggle to overcome obstacles determined to keep them apart, while fate seems destined to keep them together—until the very end. Alisa Ganieva (b. 1985) grew up in Makhachkala, Dagestan. Her literary debut, the novella Salam, Dalgat!, published under a male pseudonym, won the prestigious Debut Prize in 2009. Her debut novel, The Mountain and the Wall (Deep Vellum, 2015) was shortlisted for all of Russia's major literary awards and has been translated into seven languages. Bride and Groom is her second novel, and was shortlisted for the 2015 Russian Booker Prize upon its publication in Russia. Ganieva currently lives in Moscow, where she works as a journalist and literary critic. Dr. Carol Apollonio is Professor of the Practice of Russian at Duke University. Her most recent literary translations include Alisa Ganieva's debut novel, The Mountain and the Wall (Deep Vellum, 2015). She was awarded the Russian Ministry of Culture's Chekhov Medal in 2010, and she currently serves as President of the North American Dostoevsky Society.
Reviews with the most likes.
I really enjoyed this novel from a Dagestani writer about the clash of modern-day and tradition in the dusty landscape of rural Dagestan. Djinns are exorcised and curses cast at wedding banquets, while in the presence of smart phones and office jobs waiting back for you in Moscow. We follow along through the eyes of the two protagonists who have escaped their home village, and only indulge and participate in all the customs for their family's sake.
There seem to be multiple layers to how one can read and interpret this story. There is the levity of the marriage plot, the meeting of the maybe-lovers, the amusing bickering and meddling parents, the hilarious old customs. But at the same time there are the misogynistic views of most of the young rural men, the quite scary threat of the stalker, and so many stories devaluing women.
And then there's the political and the religious, the constant rumor mill, the encroaching fundamentalism, the dueling mosques, the corrupt politicians. There's defamations and murders, and everyone's supposed to pick a side. Tied into this, with a hint of magical realism, is the mysticism of Sufism and the Islamic figure of Khidr.
All in all this novel feels carefully crafted, with hints sprinkled throughout.
Yes, the ending felt abrupt. But, I also don't know what else would have been a fitting ending for this story.
