The Spectacular Wit and Existential Ponderings of Olga Tokarczuk

Olga Tokarczuk’s novel ‘Drive Your Plough over the Bones of the Dead’ was first published in Polish in 2009, but a 2018 English translation has brought this biting murder mystery to a new audience.

Drive Your Plough Over the Bones of the Dead borrows its title from a William Blake poem and follows our protagonist Janina Duszejko-an eccentric woman in her 60’s living in a remote mountainous area of Poland near the Czech border.

Suffering from various ‘Ailments’, Janina spends the majority of her time tending to the vacant properties, studying astrology, and translating the poetry of William Blake with her friend Dizzy.

When Janina discovers the body of her neighbour who was seemingly murdered, the search for the perpetrator begins to unfold. A staunch animal rights’ activist, Janina is convinced that animals of the region are taking their revenge against local hunters and struggles to convince the police of her theory.

The novel itself follows the premise of a classic ‘whodunnit’ mystery, but Tokarczuk’s wonderfully descriptive prose immerses the reader in the thematic struggle of ecological preservation and human activity, whilst jousting with political commentary. A truly unique and compelling read, the search for a murderer will keep readers guessing