> He hates Zlotshov even as he longs for it; he’s comforted that he’ll be buried far from his hometown, even as he can never really leave his hometown behind.
certainly struck me a certain way; i’m reminded of my uncomfortable relationship with the former Soviet Union and the various mythologised iterations of it—Jewish and not. i’ve never been one to regard immigration as an uncomplicatedly happy escape, but the treatment of nostalgia here offers a very discomfiting mirror to the emigré bitterness. this one’s gonna stay with me for a bit.
> He hates Zlotshov even as he longs for it; he’s comforted that he’ll be buried far from his hometown, even as he can never really leave his hometown behind.
certainly struck me a certain way; i’m reminded of my uncomfortable relationship with the former Soviet Union and the various mythologised iterations of it—Jewish and not. i’ve never been one to regard immigration as an uncomplicatedly happy escape, but the treatment of nostalgia here offers a very discomfiting mirror to the emigré bitterness. this one’s gonna stay with me for a bit.
Thanks for sharing this response. I appreciate hearing the ways this lands and complicatedly resonates for you.