Vladimir Sorokin; translated by Jamey Gambrell
Set during an unremitting blizzard in rural Russia, The Blizzard by Vladimir Sorokin, translated from the Russian by Jamey Gambrell, mixes realism with magical realism and includes elements of the Odyssey and Gulliver’s Travels.
The plot is straightforward. Platon Ilich Garin, the district doctor, is desperate to get to Dolgoye where the villagers are plagued with a terrible disease that transforms them into flesh-eating zombies. He carries with him a life-saving vaccine. In spite of the blinding snow storm, Crouper, the local bread man, agrees to transport the doctor on his sled pulled by 50 partridge-sized horses. They set off on a journey that should take only a few hours but stretches into days. The unrelenting snow storm reduces visibility, slowing progress. The cold is piercing, the snow knee-deep. Obstacles along the way damage the vehicle, forcing make-shift repairs. Among those they encounter are a dwarfed miller and his wife, wolves, a dead giant, and drug dealers.
The doctor initially appears as a dedicated professional, determined to save lives. But as the increasingly grueling nature of the journey becomes apparent, he reveals more of his personality. He is bitter, condescending, short-tempered, violent, angry, and abusive. Although he frequently expresses remorse at his vituperative outbursts, he makes little attempt to control them. By contrast, Crouper is unwaveringly optimistic and reassuring. He is solicitous and gentle with his horses, making sure they are warm and well-fed, coaxing them to move with gentle pats and soothing words. He prevents the doctor from whipping the horses, for which he receives a punch in the face. But he is quick to forgive and unruffled by the doctor’s erratic tantrums. He is by far the most compelling and tender character.
The journey is fraught with natural and unnatural obstacles that parallel the Odyssey. The doctor’s sexual encounter with the miller’s wife echoes Odysseus’ sexual exploits. His experience with the Vitaminders’ hallucinogenic drug parallels the temptation of the Lotus Eaters. The dead giant blocking the road is reminiscent of the Laestrygonians. The fierce snow drifts that disrupt travel echo Odysseus’ experience with being tossed around on the ocean. The shifts in scale parallel Gulliver’s Travels—the miniature horses, the dwarf-sized miller who curls up on his wife’s lap, the dead giant, and the enormous snow man.
The novel lends itself to an allegorical reading. It represents a litany of the insurmountable challenges that can thwart a cause. It is man versus nature. It is man versus his inner nature and the temptations that lead him to veer from his goal. It illustrates the contrasting attitudes toward life’s challenges as represented by the optimistic, gentle Crouper and the surly, unsympathetic doctor.
Sorokin skillfully plunges the reader in the frigid temperatures and whirling snow drifts. The novel is intense; the setting immersive; the details well-drawn; and the language hypnotic, especially during the dream sequences and Garin’s psychedelic vision. In spite of the many strengths of the novel, the significance of this journey and all that transpires within it remains elusive. One is left with a feeling something is still buried in the snow or is just beyond reach.