I'm all about some Russian literature. I had read some short stories by Solzhenitsyn last school year, and found this book at the paperback exchange in Connecticut. He is well-known for this novel, as well as his other writings about gulags/work camps in the Soviet Union. The title gives a pretty good idea what the book is about. Ivan Denisovich is a prisoner in one such camp, and has been there for years. When we meet him, he is feeling ill, and tries desperately to get a doctor's order to keep him in bed all day. Unfortunately, he gets to the clinic too late and has to report to his unit for work detail anyway. Throughout the day, we see that men were made into work-horses and learn about the danger present in other prisoners. We learn a few facts about Ivan's personal life-- he has a wife and daughter, and some of his inner feelings about his personal positon.
In general, the book feels very grey, but I think it's also uplifting.
4.75 stars.
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