Monster: Oil on Canvas

By Dmitry Zlotsky

A weirdly hilarious Russian fairy tale featuring conjoined twins, reminiscent of Gogol, Gunter Grass, and Nabokov.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 193524809X
• ISBN13: 9781935248095
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Leapfrog Press
• Length: 356 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A Russian Fairy Tale About Conjoined Twins

Zlotsky, Dimitry. "Monster: Oil on Canvas", Leapfrog Literature, 2010. A Russian Fairy Tale About Conjoined Twins Amos Lassen Alex and Alex are conjoined twins. They are anti heroes and manage to get themselves into some wild situations. Their Life (yes life and not lives because here two make one0 is an identity game of duality and duplicity. They spend their days in quest of love, hope and faith. This is a fairy tale that takes place on many different levels in this story of double hearted orphans. This has to be one of the most original books I have ever read and it is very, very funny. The writing is something else. Zlotsky has a command of the English language and therefore his book is immensely readable. The text is a veritable stew of puns, allusions and references and if for no other reason this is a unique reading experience. There is also the subplot of a man and wife and adopted daughter and all of the characters are unique. The characters of Alex are amazing; they are fearless and they have a sense of hope as they look for love. The way that the characters are tied together show us that the author is someone to watch. As I said, this is a unique reading experience and here is a book that cries to be read. You will not be sorry.

A true gem!

I have to agree with one of the reviewers - I feel that this book made me smarter too! From the very first page the text showers with puns, allusions, references that alone would make for a fun ride. Sometimes they pop at you ("Those worshiping Rorschach and his clique of inklings..."), sometimes I had to pause to get them ("MoscoW's near perfect point symmetry sets the proper tone for our story.") This story, just like its main protagonists, conjoined twins Alex and Alex ("full of duality and duplicity"), has a double layer to it. Like Alex and Alex, it always turns sideways, so that I, the reader, have to guess what's really going on - a process that ultimately provides great satisfaction. There is another, very humanistic side - a story of Sophie ("...her life had been desperate, like a game of chess against a skilled grandmaster...") who travels to another country to adopt a daughter, Fairy. Merged together those two sides of one book create an incredible cocktail of hilarity and sadness, compassion and narcissism. Top that with the author's linguistic dexterity and you get a classic that you'll never forget. Oh, yes, how could I forget the illustrations! They add yet another dimension to the book, like those prints in old adventure stories that I used to read in my childhood. Monster: Oil on Canvas (LeapLit)

Monster is a novel with unique characters.

Monster is an excellent book about conjoined twins and a husband and wife with an adopted daughter. I have never read a book with such unique characters. It is interesting to read the differences between the brothers as Zlotsky presents them. These are two fictional characters, but I admire certain traits they possess. I admire their sense of hope in the search for love and their passion for art. I also admire their sense of fearlessness. I love the way Zlotsky ties all the characters together in the book. He doesn't tie all the characters together in the beginning. Part of the fun reading this novel is finding out how these characters are connected. Monster also contains drawings by Zlotsky's wife Olga. My favorite picture by Olga is the portrait entitled Monster. The best part of the picture is the large expressive eye of the monster. Olga does not provide a clear picture of the conjoined brothers in the book. It is fun visualizing what they look like using my imagination. Zlotsky leaves me hanging at the end of the novel. It does not end the way I expected to, but I admire the way he creates such unique characters.

Written like a clasic!!!

The writing in this book is amazing. You get the feeling like you are reading a classic novel because of the author's immense skill with language but it is also written with all the pacing of a modern novel. If it makes any sense, I feel smarter having read this novel. I loved it!

A Very Unique Story

I have to concede that it was the unique cover page design and the title that drove me to make the purchase. But that "first impression", like many that have rarely failed me, proves once again that I have a "knack" for picking good books. I was so engrossed in the story that I even forgot it was the first day of 72 degrees this year and all my tennis buddies were having their joys in the high school courts. But still, I had my mine.