In Concert Performance

If you loved Bulgakov and enjoyed Pelevin this book is for you.

I truly enjoyed Dezhnev's In Concert Performance. It was touching, poetic, and took me far beyond the confined and limited realm of my Washington metro commuter train. I do not often highlight, or underline passages in novels. With this book I felt compelled to do so. As an example and as early as page 4 of the book Dezhnev sets out what must surely be the most vivd description of the empotions underlying a 'mid-life crisis. He writes . . . "Then the day comes when with autumnal clarity you see the superfluousness and mediocirty of what's going on, and this knowledge makes you want to bury your head in the protective bleakness of ordinary life, walk around half asleep, and slowly and inconspicuously slip into a different world. The soul calcifies with age and you no longer have the strength or hope to resond to feelings. Getting no answer, love passes by. [ . . . ] Still, all would be well, everything would be peaceful, except for the hidden danger that existgs at this age. The beast of vanity, which until now has fed on hope, suddenly goes on the warpath. Everything has fizzledout, everything is past its prime, and what's left is the one thing you can't accept - you're nobody and you haven't lived at all!" I found this passage, and other passages throughout the book to resonate with me in a profundly moving way. Finally, do not be fooled by the somber nature of the above passage. The book has its sarcastic, funny, and lighthearted momeents as well. This book was well worth reading - and will be one of the few that I will turn to again with th epassage of time.