It’s not often that a local and nationally acclaimed literary writer takes a stage here in town, but that’s exactly what’s happening tonight at the Salem Public Library.
Gina Ochsner, mother of four, Keizer resident, and all-around writer on-the-rise will read there this evening at 7:00 p.m. from her debut novel The Russian Dreambook of Color and Flight.
The book is one of those amazing debuts that suffers from a bit of a tough sell. I dare you to tell your friends about this book by plot alone and watch as their eyes glaze over (I’ve done this myself)). The novel tells the story of a handful of residents of a dilapidated apartment building in post-Communist Russia, some of whom work at a local museum, which houses only replicas of historical artifacts (The Russian Dreambook is big on the absurd).
That’s a pretty pathetic plot compression I’ve just offered, so I implore you to check out this great review of it from The Guardian, which goes into greater details about the book’s gloriously heartbreaking characters, who are really the stars in this dream book.
I’ve read this one and can’t sing its praises enough. It’s gorgeous, haunting, poetic, hilarious. And if I can get my husband to watch my little dude, I’ll be there watching Ochsner tonight.
