Harsch, Rick - The Skulls Of Istria
Diatribe, travelogue, brutal exposé of preening humanity.
Our narrator, a self described defrocked academic, enters as a drunken barfly, jabbering away at the man seated across the table. Who may, or may not, understand English.
No matter. The silent companion comprehends the key element: sit listening and the drinks are free. Sorta like the free meals with preaching inside the Salvation Army mission.
The breeze of words soon blows into a gale.
Our narrator, once worked for a doctorate, despite a distracted work ethic. Dashing across a series of unfinished books ~ concepts launched then discarded for fresh novelties. Likewise, females.
As he wanders across the continental USA, then into the Balkans, he finds his forte.
The soured observer.
Tourists, for example. “… the inadvertent recorders of their own doom, voracious photosnappers waging their undeclared war of attrition against magnificence, stunting vengefully what promises elude them,” or “American tourists always think that to step out of west Europe is to step into war.”
A barely whispered lament is how, as the Balkans become more touristy, the rest of the planet becomes more Balkan.
Endless conflicts, petty and writ large. Species human, treacherous liars and murderers. Even the well meaning hide blood soaked hands.
Don’t be put off. This is a roller coaster of a book. Read it, brush up on your Balkan history, reaffirm your place in the Great Parade.