Wild ride on dangerous "highway" with 1000 foot drop offs. . . Stay profilaktorii--a place for workers to sleep and relax . . . author loves it .. . Second railroad an amazing accomplishment, young Soviets come from all around to build it, last enthusiasm for communism . . . Ridiculed on bus by older Russian woman who calls him a "fat American" and accuses him of stealing her space and jostling her . . . everyone laughs . . . moment when he loses all his Russian language skills from stress, exhaustion . . . visit to "lager" prison . . . tales of prisoners of Nazis wishing they could be held by Hitler again, because Russian camps are worse . . . wishing they could be slaves in America . . . eat grease thinking it might be butter . . . discovery by workers of ancient frozen stream complete with frozen salamanders . . . scientists can't investigate salamanders because prisoners ate them!
Follows Sadie and Sam (Mazer) from childhood to mid-thirties when both are feeling old and a bit out of it in the gaming world. Characters are well-rounded, develop throughout the novel in interesting way. Plot is involved but sensible. Not a single, "Oh, come on!" moment. The book could have been faster paced. Odd, since the main topic is video games which are not for their speed of engagement and Gabrielle Zevin clearly knows her video games. Recommended by Michael Connelly in an interview. He also has Bosch pick up the book in his novel, Resurrection Walk, as Bosch tails a possible witness to a crime as she moves through a bookstore. Sadie and Sam do not get together at the end, which is good. Marx killed by homophobic nutcase who really wants to kill Sam, but Sam isn't there. Marx is father of Sadie's child.
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