Book Review: City of Thieves

City of Thieves. This book about Lev and Kolya, two young Russian men who are sent on a very strange quest during the Leningrad blockade, is very hard to put down. Almost immediately, I was taken to Russia during World War II. I could feel the cold as it penetrated me to my bones. I could see the bleak landscape, the roads covered in snow. But most importantly, I could feel their fear as they traveled throughout their homeland.

Lev is an awkward seventeen year old who has the misfortune of being caught after curfew on a night when a German bomber pilot has literally fallen from the sky. Strict rules dictate that no one is allowed out for any reason, even if it was just to check the Fritz's body. After watching his comrades get shot, he is jailed, and there he meets Kolya, a strapping lad who is Lev's perfect foil. What they don't know is that they are about to be sent out to find eggs for Colonel Grechko's daughter's wedding cake.

The narrative that follows is nothing short of pure magic, and David Benioff shows that he has got some wickedly good writing chops. The banter between Lev and Kolya is at times, laugh out loud hysterical, and at others, heartwrenching. These two unlikely companions form a friendship that is strong and true. The trust they share is a beautiful thing to watch as it unfolds on the pages. One thing I really liked was the real care these characters shared for one another. They felt real.

Benioff doesn't shy away from the grim realities that the people of Russia faced during that time. Cannabalism, the constant fear they experienced, it's all there and plainly laid out. I don't like historical fiction that goes soft or tries to hide the truth, and Benioff manages to weave in these truths without weighing the story down and making it too dark.

This was one of Geronimo's picks and it was a very good one. This is now one of my favorite books, one that I'm sure I will pick up and read again and again. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes historical ficition, has an interest in World War II, or who just likes amazing characters.