Impressions From The Books Read-№4-Bogomil Rainov "There is nothing better than bad weather." End of review-Media collection "Driving Idea"

Despite the ease of reading, this novel cannot be classified as an easy genre. This book is a complex, but at the same time harmonious literary work, in which all plot details, without exception, are linked into a single outline. The author brings the characters who appear at the beginning of the novel onto the stage at the end. The main character changes noticeably throughout the book. A deep imprint is left by the manner of presentation of the action in the first person, the emotional palette of which is limited by gloomy feelings. The events taking place in the novel are extremely close to cruel reality, so it is generously filled with negative characters and dramatic, tragic, sad episodes.

Any exciting book must be finished sooner or later, and it is hardly worth resorting to a childish trick aimed at slowing down the reading process as the ending approaches. In general, this novel by Rainov can be classified as fascinating literature, although it cannot be considered one of those literary creations that are classified as the so-called “light genre” or “mass reading.” This book, with all its apparent lightness and orientation towards the tastes of the broad masses of readers, can be considered an example of a modern classic spy detective story, and therefore there is every reason to believe that it will easily survive more than a dozen years and more than one hundred reprints.

This bold forecast can be made based on how deeply the author has thought out the plot, how many little details he connects, how harmoniously all these fleeting scenes and apt characteristics are , hints and guesses are strung onto the main storyline. Sometimes you even have to wonder how Rainov did not forget, towards the middle or end of his rather long narrative, what happened at the beginning. On the contrary, events develop logically, interconnectedly, naturally and consistently. What is worth at least the short appearance of Anna Ferrari on the plot scene towards the end of the book, which, perhaps, even a writer demanding in drawing the plot outline would consider unnecessary, given how much attention was paid to Boev’s relationship with this woman at the beginning of the novel.

It would seem that her function has long been exhausted, and she can be safely sent to a well-deserved rest, but the tireless Rainov unexpectedly, albeit briefly, brings Anna into the limelight in one of the final chapters. He does not lose sight of the executioner Rowolt, who, as if flickering, suddenly appears and then just as quickly disappears both at the beginning of the book and at its end. Considerable surprise is also caused by how multifaceted the picture of the world drawn by the author in this novel is, the action of which takes place in nearby European cities and therefore, it would seem, should be more reminiscent not of a versatile and complex symphony, but of a simple and understandable play. On the contrary, the way the reader recognizes Boev at the beginning of the book bears little resemblance to Boev in the middle of the book and bears very little resemblance to how the main character turns out to be at the end.

On the first pages, the action of which takes place on the streets of Venice, he is an attentive, albeit tired, observer, a leisurely thinker, a caustic critic of the surrounding reality, in some then even an art critic and philosopher. Somewhat later, he becomes an insidious seducer, a malicious mocker, who speaks not very flatteringly about the willingness of women to build relationships with generous rich men, as well as a loyal servant prone to reflection, who is deeply affected by the failures that befall him during the execution of his task. But this is not all the traits of his character, since Boev, who boldly jumps on the rooftops on a rainy night to get to the Zodiac archive, also appears as a desperate daredevil, ready to risk his life to achieve the goal set before him, and his relationship with Edith reveals it has deep soulfulness, lyricism, romanticism, and the ability for tender feelings.

You can be convinced of this during Emil’s communication with Edith on business issues, and during their joint leisure time at the artist’s party, and, of course, at the moment of their secret kiss on the evening street , and while describing their forced return from the suburbs by bicycle. In the end, the reader learns that Boev can calmly face death when Zodiac employees actually kidnap him, and that he is able to just as calmly, perhaps forever, part with a woman who has long become much more than a colleague for him. and therefore, separation from whom for him is also, to some extent, tantamount to a small death. But Boev’s most amazing ability is not his versatility, versatility, ability to be cruel, and sentimental, and leisurely, and impetuous, but his ability to constantly think about his actions in every detail and from time to time take a broad look at his entire life, starting with childhood.

The entire novel is built on how Boev sees the world around him, what he thinks about it, how he evaluates what is happening around him, what general moral tendencies he identifies and what human qualities draws attention. The method of presentation of events chosen by the author, which makes the main character a constant interlocutor of the reader, is quite unconventional compared to novels in which the description of events comes from a third person. This allows you to be in constant psychological contact with Combat, to learn about all his doubts, guesses, memories, regrets, feelings, suffering. It must be admitted that the author limited Emil’s emotional world to gloomy, gray and, at best, lyrical moods, while completely depriving him of daydreaming, and directing his rich imagination not to creating pictures of a happy future, but to imagining difficult conversations with the leaders of his intelligence mission.

Perhaps the gray emotional range was due to the author’s vision of the world and the life of an intelligence officer in particular. That is why the novel seems so close to everyday reality, it seems to be taken from it, like a bucket of water from the sea waves, and can just as instantly dissolve in the surrounding world if it is “thrown” there. By the way, this is exactly what happens in the imagination of the reader, who, after reading this book, does not at all feel that separation from reality that often occurs after reading novels that are largely based on a fictional picture of the world. This novel is part of everyday life - rainy, cruel, full of murders, deceit, cunning plans, suffering, partings, regrets. Perhaps this is why, after reading it, one can feel something like the famous catharsis, that is, the emotional cleansing that viewers of ancient Greek tragedies experienced.

This book does not take the reader into the world of sunny dreams, but constantly pours rain on him with the harsh reality that is created in Rainov’s novel ruthless, low, terrible people. That’s why you need to read it, right down to the last page, right up to that very scene of Emil’s farewell to Edith at the station, which has nothing to do with a happy ending pleasing to the reader, but has a lot in common with life, in which even people who are satisfied with their position usually want to receive even more from fate and, not being able to satisfy this need, they quietly suffer. Indeed, there is nothing better than bad weather - after all, it very accurately reflects the emotional state in which a person is immersed in everyday life - and thereby makes it easier for him to perceive the world around him, which, like his inner world, is shrouded in gray clouds when it rains , and not illuminated by the bright sun. Drivingidea.ru LogoArrow

Careful plot development

The multifaceted nature of the main character

Continuous stream of consciousness and a wide panorama of thinking

No embellishment of reality