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An hilarious and moving modern fable

The Raccoon

Aleksandr Skorobogatov

The raccoon is a vulnerable, peaceful creature with dreams that may be utterly impossible but that do give him the strength to survive in a ruthless world. And so he attempts to fly, he protects what’s good and he fights evil. He overcomes gravity, engages in duels and eliminates fleas. But the real test comes when his beloved chooses a career in showbiz and through deception ends up taxidermied in a museum. The raccoon embarks on a heroic quest to save her and bring her back to life. And luckily, in ‘The Raccoon’, as in fairy tales, the anti-hero lives happily ever after.

The author pulls out all the linguistic stops and delivers an unforgettable and absolutely hilarious adventure. ****
NRC

‘The Raccoon’ is both hilarious and moving. With prose drenched in the vernacular and flirting with the techniques of oral narrative, Skorobogatov shows himself to be an heir of the Russian story-telling tradition of Gogol. With this book, he delivers an ode to the little man who, despite his many imperfections and shortcomings, despite his fears and doubts, despite his tragic vulnerability and utterly impractical dreams, finds the strength to survive - against all laws of nature. An ode to the raccoon in each of us.

A literary rollercoaster in which the story is as simple as its style is ingenious.
Trouw
Russian absurdism in spades
De Morgen