Aditya's Reading Blog: A Man of Many Contradictions: Contemplating a Complex Character

The great thing about mathematics is that if you use the same equation, you'll get out the same answer every time. It doesn't matter how many times it's used, or who is trying to use it. Well, from my recent literary exploits, I can confidently say that this is definitely not true in writing. Wait, I think I'm getting ahead of myself here. This week, I started reading Anthony Horowitz's new novel called Russian Roulette. It, for the most part, is the (fictional) autobiography of a man named Yassen Gregorovich, one who grew up with a miserable childhood and went on to become one of the most infamous criminals in the world. Seeing as the folks at Goodreads have already written a summary, I'll save you the trouble of reading another one here. When you first meet Yassen, he seems like an innocent little boy from a tiny village who has no idea how mean the world can be (His name is actually Yasha. It's a long story). When the existence of a covert biological weapons factory in the secluded Russian village of Estrov is leaked, the authorities are adamant that there should be no survivors. According to the official story, the village never existed. It was completely uninhabited. And there was no factory of any kind. Luckily, Horowitz saves you from the technical details and gives you a stunning first person narrative of the only known living survivor.

"Never tell anyone you came from Estrov. Never use that word again" (Horowitz 48).

Out of all the reviews you can read on the internet, the Guardian puts it the best. Their anonymous reviewer suggests that "Russian Roulette is a mystery, just like it's protagonist". This line essentially sums up everything that one can conclude when first picking up the book. Yassen is a person of so many contradictions that it is hard to decide who he truly is. Oh, but I forgot... I was going to tell you why the same ingredients can make very different characters. If you've ever read the original series of novels, you might recognize that their protagonist, Alex Rider, is remarkably similar to the elusive, yet haunting antagonist, Yassen Gregorovich. Both of them see their parents killed before they turn 15. Both of them have family members who are part of secret government schemes. Both witness the deaths of their family members, and both of them come to realize the terrible nature of the world after a horrible incident occurs. How did one of them become a hero and the other become the only antagonist to live for every book in the series? If you haven't read any of the books, you can think of it like Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. They came from very similar situations, yet managed to receive their circumstances completely differently. After Yassen's best friend, Leo, dies of the biological weapons plant's disease after coming to Moscow he recounts that "In a way, I think I am writing this to Leo. I have decided to keep a record of my life because I suspect my life will be short...But I sometimes think of him and I would like him to understand what it was that made me what I am. After all, living as a boy of fourteen in a Russian village, it had never been my intention to become a contract killer" (Horowitz 70). The first thing that struck me about these lines was how humane he seems. After all, he makes money killing people! In these rare moments of insight, we are able to learn more about Yassen's character.

The train station where Yassen first arrives in Moscow

At the point I'm at in the book, Yassen is like a little time bomb waiting to explode. He has seen every thing taken away from him, and now he wants to get even with the society that has left him nothing. When he is captured by the authorities, he writes, "I made my first escape attempt that same day. I knew I couldn't stay here. I wasn't going to play any more of their sadistic games and I certainly wasn't going the swallow their food..." (Horowitz 165).

Afraid. Confused. Miserable.

Yassen has found himself in a world that cares little about the victims of the destruction of his village. In fact, it's nowhere to be found on any map. There is nobody who cares about his existence (save for the thieves that take his money). In fact, within a few short months, Yassen is robbed penniless and starved to weakness and kidnapped by a malevolent and corrupt business tycoon. I know you might be tempted to roll your eyes and dismiss this as another sad tale that ends badly- but this isn't that kind of story. You actually know from the start that the protagonist (or shall we call him the antagonist?) will live until the end of the book. And he will have changed. For the worse. Much worse.

That is where the uniqueness of this book comes in. We've all read books where bad characters reform themselves and the good ones die of sad deaths- but how many times do you see the very person you're rooting for throughout the story turn rotten on you? What a horrible trick, Mr. Horowitz. We've all seen our share of books and even more books that tell you not to read them. But this ingenious narrative certainly takes the cake.