AUTHOR: Vicente Luis Mora
TRANSLATOR: Rahul Bery
In the early 1800s, Repo Hauptshammer, newly widowed, arrives in a Prussian village to start a new life of a farmer. Feudalism is in decline and Repo is in possession of documents ceding a small plot of land to him, where he hopes to plant sugar beets. But first, he needs to bury his beloved wife Odra, and that's when the trouble starts. The first hole he digs yields the perfectly preserved body of a soldier. His second attempt is worse, revealing two more corpses from an earlier time. Enlisting the aid of a friendly neighbor, Repo uncovers yet more bodies, some dressed in unknown uniforms, with futuristic weapons at hand. The local authorities are at a loss as to what to do with the bodies, and while they consider the matter, Repo grows increasingly frustrated in his efforts to bury his wife and to make his farm profitable.
Repo also has a secret he alludes to in his narrative, which is the form this book takes: his memoir, written in a non-linear style, giving the reader hints and details until a full -- or near enough -- picture emerges.
For a slim volume, there is a lot of substance here, including the discussions Repo has with his new friend, Jakob, a historian, about politics and philosophy. It's always a treat to read a book that is both thought-provoking and entertaining, and this one definitely meets that standard.
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