Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead: A Novel
About this product
WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE
New York Times Readers Pick: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
"A brilliant literary murder mystery." — Chicago Tribune
"Extraordinary. Tokarczuk's novel is funny, vivid, dangerous, and disturbing, and it raises some fierce questions about human behavior. My sincere admiration for her brilliant work." —Annie Proulx
In a remote Polish village, Janina devotes the dark winter days to studying astrology, translating the poetry of William Blake, and taking care of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Her reputation as a crank and a recluse is amplified by her not-so-secret preference for the company of animals over humans. Then a neighbor, Big Foot, turns up dead. Soon other bodies are discovered, in increasingly strange circumstances. As suspicions mount, Janina inserts herself into the investigation, certain that she knows whodunit. If only anyone would pay her mind . . .
A deeply satisfying thriller cum fairy tale, Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead is a provocative exploration of the murky borderland between sanity and madness, justice and tradition, autonomy and fate. Whom do we deem sane? it asks. Who is worthy of a voice? Read more
Editor's Take
Amazon reviewers generally describe Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead as literary, unusual, and thought-provoking, with many praising its atmospheric setting and memorable narrator. Some readers also mention that its mix of mystery, philosophy, and dark humor makes it stand out from a typical thriller.
On Goodreads and StoryGraph, readers frequently call it intelligent, haunting, and beautifully written, while a smaller group says it is slow-paced or too strange for their taste. Reddit discussions echo that split, with some users emphasizing the novel’s character focus and others noting that it is often marketed more like an environmental murder mystery than it really is.
Review outlets such as NPR, Kirkus Reviews, and The London Magazine highlight its blend of noir, moral argument, and fable-like qualities. Blog reviews often praise the prose and originality, while a few point out that the plot can feel secondary to the novel’s ideas and voice.
One YouTube result appeared for this title, but it was an audiobook preview rather than a clear review, so no YouTube review ID is returned.
Price History
Specifications
| Genre | Fiction |
| Illustrated | No |
Product Details
| Publisher | Riverhead Books |
| Publication date | August 11, 2020 |
| Edition | Reprint |
| Language | English |
| Print length | 288 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0525541349 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0525541349 |
| Item Weight | 2.31 pounds |
| Reading age | 1 year and up |
| Dimensions | 5.09 x 0.75 x 7.96 inches |
| Best Sellers Rank | #8,993 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #27 in Humor About Law & Crime #58 in Fiction Satire #619 in Literary Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (14,284) |
