What We’re Reading: A Gentleman in Moscow
Welcome to the “What We’re Reading” ongoing series where you’ll find PCVs sharing their thoughts, reflections, and reviews on books of any genre. Sticky Rice Editor in Chief Gretchen Evans also interviews fellow Volunteers and they discuss the books they’ve been reading at site. Don’t forget to leave us a comment below if you’ve also read any of these books!
Lindsey Morrow, 136 TESS
To combat my crippling phone addiction during service, I have reignited my passion for reading. Something I lost once I entered college and was saddled with hundreds of pages worth of academic reading on the daily. With my handy-dandy kindle (a parting Christmas gift from family) and a Libby account connected to an amazingly unexpired library card from Tennessee, I’ve been able to rekindle this lost hobby of mine.
Recently, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles had a profound impact on me. This book details the life of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov (not a real person) following the Bolshevik Revolution. Unlike other aristocrats of time who fled or faced execution, Count Rostov was placed under house arrest (for life) in the Hotel Metropol. In the Hotel Metropol, Count Rostov is provided with all human necessities and even some luxuries, like fancy dinners with wine. During his time at the Hotel, he sometimes finds himself privy to the political happenings of the era, as the Hotel Metropol is an established meeting place for politicians of all scopes (but mostly communist at the time… obviously).
But make no mistake, Count Rostov resides in a gilded cage, and as the years tick away, he becomes aware that life is moving without him. When he looks out the window, there is a Moscow, a Russia, that he no longer recognizes. He has become trapped in a monotonous routine. Eventually he decided that living has become a chore, the next day is just a day in a cycle of days. Nothing unique to differentiate it from the day prior. Sound familiar?
Fortunately for the Count, his story takes a turn for the better. In the confines of the hotel, he learns to discover the unexplored and overlooked places, to build connections with the staff and visitors of the hotel, to escape from his established routine. Through this journey, he regains a feeling of purpose in life. We witness how Count Rostov’s perspective of the hotel and his life within it evolve over the course of the book. We see as the audience how the walls of the hotel seem to swell to encompass a life of joy and fulfillment.
Count Rostov’s story truly resonated with me. I’ve long since become accustomed to the feeling of being trapped or stuck in a place. Being bogged down by the burden of routine. In an unchanging environment, it’s easy to feel frustrated at the monotony of it all, to become disconnected and discontent with the life that you have. After completing this book, I came to understand that your world is as big or as small as you make it. If this is you, take up a new hobby, even if you’re not good at it. Find something to truly invest your time in. Explore a new place in your community. Bike a little further if you have to. Talk to somebody outside your immediate circle. It’s all about finding those things that you may have missed. Big or small, they may make your life a little brighter.
