Farewell to Russia by Joe Luc Barnes
I’ve long been interested in Russia, from the early 90s, I’ve enjoyed the country’s great literature and philosophy, yet the country is one that remains alien to me (and to many of its outsiders) and elusive to many who are intrigued by one of the world’s most secretive countries.
I think it’s fair to say that Russia has certainly been more in the public eye since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the dynamics of not just Russia, but many neighbouring countries have been adversely affected. The effects of the changes since the invasion on the people of these countries are not something we hear about, and it is here that Joe Luc Barnes highlights in , along with a thorough, and often humorous, journey through the fifteen countries, once comprising the USSR.
Fascinating from the very start, as our journey in Moscow on the eve of the Ukraine war, and the levels of hubris and apprehension of the Russian people, some who felt that it would be over in days, and others who feared for their families, and their own well-being. The mistrust of the British press, for example, who some felt were fabricating the notion that Putin’s forces were readying themselves along the border, I’m sure took many there by surprise as the world waited in anticipation.
However, leaving Moscow, we travel to all fifteen of the former Soviet states, where independence has changed the countries in a variety of ways. Many of these countries were raised under dictatorships; there is a sense of liberalism in a number of these countries (without giving too much away), yet an underlying sense of suspicion still pervades some countries, such as Turkmenistan, where the reader feels the presence of the KGB, although long gone. It feels like a place where freedoms are repressed, in contrast to countries such as Belarus, where things certainly feel more relaxed. Yet, these are ‘alien’ nations to many a reader, and with our only impressions supplied by the media, we can only expect the worst, when this may certainly not be the case.
offers a new, fascinating, poignant, and often entertaining insight of each of these countries, and although there is certainly a farewell to the old USSR, I still feel, on completing the book, there is a sense of nostalgia in some places, and maybe a sense of belonging, which is now missed. Yet, what shines through is the friendliness of the people. I enjoy reading about people, and, thankfully, Joe Luc Barnes is a worthy storyteller to give the world an introduction to each of these characters.
-
by Joe Luc Barnes is out now, published by Elliott & Thompson (£22.00). To order a copy, go to eandtbooks.com
