A masterful tale set in post-Soviet Kiev that's both darkly-funny and ominous...
In the widely hailed prequel to "Penguin Lost," aspiring writer Viktor Zolotaryov leads a down-and-out life in poverty-and-violence-wracked Kiev--he's out of work and his only friend is a penguin, Misha, that he rescued when the local zoo started getting rid of animals. Even more nerve-wracking: a local mobster has taken a shine to Misha and wants to keep borrowing him for events.
But Viktor thinks he's finally caught a break when he lands a well- paying job at the Kiev newspaper writing "living...