The Successor by Ismail Kadare

The Successor

Ismail Kadare

An Albanian whodunnit. Was The Successor murdered or did he take his own life? The story takes you through the personal thoughts of those closest to him. Some believe they will be framed for his murder. Others, that in some way they are to blame for his apparent suicide. Not the easiest of translations to read. Expect heavy and descriptive prose rather than a speedy thriller. However, the final few pages won't let you down - all is revealed.

Extract
I am other. What's more, I am not whole. I have no grave, and I am lacking half my skull. I have been exhumed so often - lugged here and there, flung unceremoniously into sacks and plastic bags with lumps of earth and shingle - that part of me has gone missing. But that's a mere detail. Even if I were whole, even if I has been embalmed and preserved in a marble tomb, you would not get anything out of me besides fog and chaos.
Parallels
  • The Dream Life of Sukhanov by Olga Grushin
  • Albania in Dictatorship and Democracy by Owen Pearson
  • Gorky Park - the film