The Gardener from Ochakov

Kurkov is a master story teller, using a simple lean style for a narrative that reads like a fable or myth, rich in invention, brought to life by the deadpan depiction of local people and local events * The Bay, Swansea *
Kurkov masters the details superbly, writes with constant consummate wit and souffle lightness -- Tom Adair * Scotsman *
Some see him as a latter day Bulgakov; to others he's a Urkanian Murakami... With a characteristic mix of realism and fantasy it [The Gardener from Ochakov] will delight fans... Kurkov combines the mundane details of life in modern Ukraine (minibus taxis, tins of sprats and bottles of moonshine) with surreal elements from thrillers and sci-fi: knife wielding gangsters, or quantum leaps in the midnight suburbs. The plot rattles along like a Kiev commuter train, regularly stopping for vodka, salami and salted cucumbers... -- Phoebe Taplin * Guardian *
Quickly becomes an absorbing rollercoaster, an understated fantasy with an unlikely but likeable hero -- Matthew Dennison * The Times *
More than a clash of ages... It's also a tale about fathers and sons and what they need from each other -- Lesley McDowell * Glasgow Sunday Herald *