Book Review: So begins a mysterious series of deaths in and around the plateau

So says Janina Duszejko, the extraordinary central character of Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead.

A passionate animal lover, Janina lives in a remote village on the Polish/Czech border which is abandoned by most of its residents during the brutally cold winters.

One bleak snowy evening, her neighbour is found dead in his house, having apparently choked on the bone of a deer he illegally hunted, killed and ate.

So begins a mysterious series of deaths in and around the plateau on which Janina’s village is situated - all of which seem to be connected to the rife hunting culture in the area.

The plot of this 2009 book from acclaimed Polish author Olga Tokarczuk is essentially that of a detective novel, but it’s one where we’re never quite sure what the rules are. This element of the story is brought to a brilliantly satisfying conclusion.

But more than this, Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead is an engrossing study of one woman, the world she has fabricated for herself over the course of her life and how she resolves her struggles with it.

Janina is one of those characters who creeps up on you, the sort of person not often given centre stage in a novel.

She is elderly and eccentric, often dismissed as senile by the people around her, particularly those in authority.

But as the novel goes on, and we learn more about her, she becomes irresistible and fascinating - she was a successful civil engineer; she’s an English teacher; she translates the work of William Blake; she’s obsessed with astrology; she has unconventional but deep and genuine friendships.

This is a person who’s led a rich and varied life - not a caricature that can be fit neatly into a box. Janina Duszejko is a terrific creation who will stay with you long after you close the final page.