Sent to prison for a murder he didn’t commit, Lev Kaludov Zhelyazko is released 20 years later. He entered his Sofia, Bulgaria cell while living under an authoritarian principality regime. He’s set free into a Communist totalitarian regime. Who knew things could have gotten worse.
In 1943, Lev, his wife and a childhood friend robbed a jewelry shop, where the owner is killed. A enormous black diamond disappeared. The three plot with and against each other to find it.
This sardonic novel, which takes place on the single of December 21, 1963, is subtitled, “a socialist noir,” and it lives up to the genre. It’s the longest, darkest night of the year, and the plot sparkles with intrigue, suspense, and humor. And everyone, even the incidental characters, has stories to tell. The novel is reminiscent of the old Edmund O’Brien film from 1950, D.O.A.
The title word describes a black pitch or asphalt used as a bonding material for road surfacing, and as poor person’s chewing gum. It’s also a Turkish slang word for one of the seven words you can’t say on television. Enough said.
Zift was made into a film in 2008. It’s now at the top of my Netflix list.
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