Reviews, that is. After the initial four-pack of prepub reviews (noted below), the time’s drawing near to the June 1 release date for 36 Yalta Boulevard, and, having obsessive tendencies, I google the title now and then to see if anything’s come up. Well, something has. James Clar over at The Mean Streets has taken the time to write up an extensive and, to me, wonderful review of the book.
In particular, I appreciate the attention he gives to some of the central themes in the book, which he nails on the head. While all novelists want reviewers to report that they’ve spun a ripping good tale, it’s especially satisfying when a reviewer, in addition, delves deeper into the “why” of the story. James says,
Brano Sev is truly a remarkable character. He is a man who defines himself almost entirely in terms of his duty and who sacrifices his own happiness on the altar of a cause he comes to suspect is utterly bankrupt. But without that cause — without faith in “causes” in general — what are we?