About book God Lives In St. Petersburg And Other Stories (2005)
Written by an American man who spent some time in Uzbekistan, God Lives in St Petersburg is a collection of literary snapshots in the various ‘stans of Central Asia. It opens with ‘Death Defier’, which follows a couple of journalists and their local guide / translator in Afghanistan, and it was a bit of a punch in the face. I mean that in a good way — Bissell gets straight to the heart of the matter. All the stories felt authentic, especially the ones that involved Christian missionaries in one way or another. There was something quite cold and matter-of-fact about them all, in fact, in that they didn’t romanticise the people, the landscape, or the circumstances. It was only reading the last story, Animals in Our Lives, that I felt some emotion creeping in, where it dealt with what happens after a well-meaning Westerner leaves Central Asia for home.One of my favourite stories was The Ambassador’s Son — if you read it and have also read my site during ‘the Xiamen years’ you’ll understand why. All in all, I found God Lives in St Petersburg totally absorbing. Nothing can ever beat Legend of a Suicide for the emotional whipping its stories give you, but this collection by Tom Bissell isn’t far behind.
I recently returned from a trip to Central Asia and was looking for more insight into the area. Can't say I enjoyed these stories but couldn't stop reading them. This book includes a group of short stories set in the Central Asian countries of the former Soviet Union except for the last semi-autobiographical story set in the US. Bissell's stories are bleak and he focuses on the darker side of man's nature. Without exception, I found Bissell's characters to be unlikeable and ill prepared for their experiences in a non-American culture. Read this book for the literary value and not to become better informed about Central Asia.
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After recently seeing the movie, "The Loneliest Planet", I was curious to read the short story the movie was based on hence, "God Lives In St. Petersburg" on my reading list. The story "Expensive Trips Nowhere" which was the basis for the movie actually ended up being my least favorite of Bissell's stories, ironically. All the stories take place in Central Asia a few years after the fall of the Soviet Union and they were all definitely interesting and thought provoking. Short stories are not usually my favorite thing to read but I found these quite enjoyable and entertaining......
—Holly
This book of short stories is for those who have tried to put a finger on the loneliness of long-term, immersive travel; it succeeds in describing experiences of emotional confusion and indecision; it is quiet but not dull; in short, this book is really good. However, I think it might hit home only for those who can directly identify with the experiences of the author (though the stories are fiction they are obviously closely tied to his own life), and is definitely for those not in the midst of traveling but who have come home and are trying to make sense of things. That's me. And I liked it.
—Julia
