A young journalist sees a man slap a beautiful woman on the shore of the Danube. Intrigued, he follows the woman into the tangled streets of the city until he loses sight of her. A few days later a mysterious package arrives. As he delves deeper trying to decipher the contents, he finds himself unravelling a terrible conspiracy that seems destined to end in tragedy...
Leeches
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Review
Intense...there is a genuine sense of danger and a fascinatingly twisty plot (Kate Saunders The Times )
Has the paranoid, hallucinatory feel of a mind slowly breaking down... It's a bold response to Serbia's bloodstained history (Claire Allfree Metro )
A masterpiece, a thrilling maelstrom of conspiracies and counter-conspiracies (Die Zeit )
Kafka for our times (Neue Zürcher Zeitung )
Albahari is one of the great writers of this world and we do not know it, or not enough (La Vie Littéraire )
Has the paranoid, hallucinatory feel of a mind slowly breaking down... It's a bold response to Serbia's bloodstained history (Claire Allfree Metro )
A masterpiece, a thrilling maelstrom of conspiracies and counter-conspiracies (Die Zeit )
Kafka for our times (Neue Zürcher Zeitung )
Albahari is one of the great writers of this world and we do not know it, or not enough (La Vie Littéraire )
Book Description
A thrilling adventure into an underground world of secret societies and conspiracy theories.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Amy Henry
Format:Hardcover
Is anything truly meaningless?
In David Albahair's newest novel, Leeches, his protagonist battles with the concept of what is trivial and what is significant in his life. A common enough problem for anyone, but for someone having gone through the political and ethnic war in the Baltics, it's more complex. The novel begins with him witnessing a random act of violence: a woman is slapped by a man. The shock of it sears him, yet it seems tame compared to the violence perpetrated throughout the region during the conflict. Now obsessed, he tries to find out who the woman is and why the incident took place.
As he takes on his search, he finds himself looking for clues everywhere. Suddenly everything has a broader meaning, and he feels enlightened to recognize signs that others ignore. Graffiti, scraps of paper on the ground, the angle of a door opening; all appear to him as related to his search. His closest friend Marko tries to get him back to reality, cautiously but clearly pointing out the flaws in his thinking. Is he suffering from some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder or is he simply paranoid? Or could it be as they say, that even a paranoid person is right sometimes?
The novel proceeds rapidly with him consulting a mathematical expert, Dragan Misovic ("you must get over your fear of math"), and Kabbalah mystics in order to piece together what he can accept as a reality. The Belgrade setting is perfect for the labyrinth of the story, as he seeks answers through old and new portions of the city, amid ruins and new construction.
In one portion of the novel, I came across what is possibly the best explanation for why people become racist, and why ethnic hatred is so prevalent.... Read more ›
In David Albahair's newest novel, Leeches, his protagonist battles with the concept of what is trivial and what is significant in his life. A common enough problem for anyone, but for someone having gone through the political and ethnic war in the Baltics, it's more complex. The novel begins with him witnessing a random act of violence: a woman is slapped by a man. The shock of it sears him, yet it seems tame compared to the violence perpetrated throughout the region during the conflict. Now obsessed, he tries to find out who the woman is and why the incident took place.
As he takes on his search, he finds himself looking for clues everywhere. Suddenly everything has a broader meaning, and he feels enlightened to recognize signs that others ignore. Graffiti, scraps of paper on the ground, the angle of a door opening; all appear to him as related to his search. His closest friend Marko tries to get him back to reality, cautiously but clearly pointing out the flaws in his thinking. Is he suffering from some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder or is he simply paranoid? Or could it be as they say, that even a paranoid person is right sometimes?
The novel proceeds rapidly with him consulting a mathematical expert, Dragan Misovic ("you must get over your fear of math"), and Kabbalah mystics in order to piece together what he can accept as a reality. The Belgrade setting is perfect for the labyrinth of the story, as he seeks answers through old and new portions of the city, amid ruins and new construction.
In one portion of the novel, I came across what is possibly the best explanation for why people become racist, and why ethnic hatred is so prevalent.... Read more ›
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars
18 reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
From the bottom of the well.
1 April 2011
By Dick Johnson
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This book nearly wore me out. Kabbalistic hair-splitting will do that. But, so will a three-hundred page paragraph. This is a literary tale written about Serbia, the Jewish community in Serbia and a non-Jew protagonist being the hope of that community. It is also about this same man being either the bait or the fish.
Our hero, a writer, is drawn into a never-ending short-lived story that has him not only going in circles, but also looking for meaning in those circles; even though sometimes a circle is just a circle. Sometimes. When someone knows what I am going to do before I do, how do I know that someone really did know that? Or, was that someone just playing with my mind by saying so? Or, by denying it?
Madness is highly overrated, I am told. But, what if I was lied to? And, is that what I want? No, I really want to know if I am doing something important for the side of good or if I am being used by the side of bad. I really, really want to know the truth. The problem is, I don't know who I'd believe was telling me the truth.
Albahari has the reader become a part of this segment of Serbian society in a very tough time. While he hasn't written an easily read book, it is a book that will play with your mind. Trying to unravel that which may not be meant to be unraveled can be fun. It is worth the effort.
Our hero, a writer, is drawn into a never-ending short-lived story that has him not only going in circles, but also looking for meaning in those circles; even though sometimes a circle is just a circle. Sometimes. When someone knows what I am going to do before I do, how do I know that someone really did know that? Or, was that someone just playing with my mind by saying so? Or, by denying it?
Madness is highly overrated, I am told. But, what if I was lied to? And, is that what I want? No, I really want to know if I am doing something important for the side of good or if I am being used by the side of bad. I really, really want to know the truth. The problem is, I don't know who I'd believe was telling me the truth.
Albahari has the reader become a part of this segment of Serbian society in a very tough time. While he hasn't written an easily read book, it is a book that will play with your mind. Trying to unravel that which may not be meant to be unraveled can be fun. It is worth the effort.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
I Looked Left, I Looked Right
10 May 2011
By Addison Dewitt
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
David Albahari's "Leeches" is clearly not a book for everyone. If existentialism were studied while dropping acid and then talked out in the next few mornings in a haze of a hangover, you might end up with the same result, especially if hopped up on a couple pots of coffee laced with hash.
Albahari's Serbian hero pulls on a piece of literary yarn in a carefully knit sweater and unwinds a long, babbling thread that seemingly has no end, no paragraph breaks and minimal punctuation. Those without patience will find the book tedious but perseverance pays off for those willing to sacrifice their better judgment and stay in the game.
Various themes are covered during the tale; violence, paranoia, the Kabbalah, conspiracy theories, antisemitism, mathematics, symbolism, ethnic cleansing and, eventually, murder. And all are viewed through the heavy smoke of marijuana which is ever-present between our hero and his friend who he visits often in order to tell his day's events.
The writing is solid, even if it's mostly stream-of-conscious meandering. Some key phrases are over-used (I looked left, I looked right, etc.) but after a while they nearly become the hallmark - and could have deeper meaning.
Or am I being paranoid? Perhaps I'll ask an old Jewish man for advice.
Albahari's Serbian hero pulls on a piece of literary yarn in a carefully knit sweater and unwinds a long, babbling thread that seemingly has no end, no paragraph breaks and minimal punctuation. Those without patience will find the book tedious but perseverance pays off for those willing to sacrifice their better judgment and stay in the game.
Various themes are covered during the tale; violence, paranoia, the Kabbalah, conspiracy theories, antisemitism, mathematics, symbolism, ethnic cleansing and, eventually, murder. And all are viewed through the heavy smoke of marijuana which is ever-present between our hero and his friend who he visits often in order to tell his day's events.
The writing is solid, even if it's mostly stream-of-conscious meandering. Some key phrases are over-used (I looked left, I looked right, etc.) but after a while they nearly become the hallmark - and could have deeper meaning.
Or am I being paranoid? Perhaps I'll ask an old Jewish man for advice.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pynchon through a thick smoke of marijuana
5 May 2011
By J from NY
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
David Albahari's "Leeches" is a bit like reading a Thomas Pynchon novel while high. While the narrative is all over the place, it all just seems to make sense and the entire book is based on one incident: a Serbian journalist witnessing a woman being physically assaulted on the banks of the Danube.
In true beat-surrealist-deconstructionist tradition, Albahari makes this perpetually stoned newsreporter's witness take on divine proportions. Because of his attempt to stop and understand this one incident, he becomes the subject of worldwide attention and is targeted for assassination by a group of anti-semites. Familiarizing himself with the Kabbalah, he is initiated into it's rites and mysteries, even attending secret ceremonies. One cannot always tell if what happens is real or imagined.
A fascinating gem of a book that also reminds one of Denis Jonson, Albahari clearly has a future in the Brion Gysin school of fiction. Recommended for those with patience.
In true beat-surrealist-deconstructionist tradition, Albahari makes this perpetually stoned newsreporter's witness take on divine proportions. Because of his attempt to stop and understand this one incident, he becomes the subject of worldwide attention and is targeted for assassination by a group of anti-semites. Familiarizing himself with the Kabbalah, he is initiated into it's rites and mysteries, even attending secret ceremonies. One cannot always tell if what happens is real or imagined.
A fascinating gem of a book that also reminds one of Denis Jonson, Albahari clearly has a future in the Brion Gysin school of fiction. Recommended for those with patience.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 18 reviews
3.8 out of 5 stars
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