Bronsky lands another hit with this hilarious, disturbing, and always irreverent blitz. Rosa is absolutely outrageous, a one-woman wrecking crew with no remorse, an acid tongue, and a conniving opportunist's sense of drive and desperation. Baba Dunja is a gentler, kinder, funnier but no less stubborn version of Rosa. Rosa's machinations grow increasingly devious until Aminat matures and comes to a crossroads of her own. For the prodigiously talented Alina Bronsky, this is a return to the iron-willed older female protagonist that she made famous with her unforgettable Russian matriarch Rosa Achmetowna, from The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine. Rosa is fundamentally nasty, yes, but she instantly falls in love with Aminat (who coincidentally bears a striking resemblance to Rosa), tries to wrestle Aminat away from Sulfia, and enjoys watching Aminat grow into a wild, willful thing as Rosa and Sulfia kidnap the little girl back and forth. Rosa immediately tries a variety of crude home remedies for aborting Sulfia's baby-but nine months later, Aminat, is born. The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine By Alina Bronsky Translated from the German by Tim Mohr Europa Editions Paperback, 246 Pages, 15. Brusque, brimming with bile, and ever judgmental, she is less than pleased when the "rather stupid" Sulfia winds up pregnant. She lives in a cramped Soviet apartment with her husband, teenage daughter Sulfia, and a nosy, disagreeable roommate. Rosa Achmetowna, the frightening narrator of Bronsky's dark and wily latest (after Broken Glass Park), is a difficult person to like, much less love.
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