Prose

This fifth novel by Petra Hůlová is full of adventure and suspense. Different periods in time, different cultures, countries and ethics are linked with each other. Shortly after World War II a Danish amateur ethnographer travels deep into Russia and ends up in a small town in the middle of Siberia. He films and photographs the locals, who are living side by side with local tribes with poor relations. It’s made impossible for him to return home. Fifty years later another young Danish ethnographer travels to the same place and tries to found out what happened. Like a detective story we gradually find out the fate of his countryman who vanished such a long time ago. Next to that there are the various stories of people who are all in some way connected to this spot in Siberia and what happened there, like that of the guard on the Trans Siberian Express, or that of the wife of the Dane who disappeared.

Hůlová presents the readers a caleidoscope of stories, which are all interwoven with each other. The result is a vast picture of clashes between cultures. As usual Hůlová has a great eye for detail and wonderfully utilizes all the different voices of her characters. On one hand she opens up a new world to her readers, but on the other hand it is all about basic human values and human behaviour.

Praise

“Despite her youth, Petra Hůlová is a remarkably full-grown author. As any born storyteller she masters the full spectrum of emotions. Het novel changes effortless from comic to fright, from tragic to a laughter, Hulova is capable of changing moods, tempo and perspective. Reading her book is a joy”

—Die Welt

“Tajga Station is a novel in which one can lose himself in the spacious realm of the Siberian steppe”

—Deutschlandradio Kultur