Eastbound
by Maylis De Kerangal
Translated by Jessica Moore
As the Trans-Siberian train leaves Moscow on its unrelentless journey, eastbound towards Vladivostock, the destinies of two very different characters will soon become entwined. On the one hand there is 20-year old Aliocha, whose attempts to avoid conscription have failed, meaning that he has to join a group of other young (and mostly unwilling) soldiers posted to an undisclosed site. On the other there is Helene, a foreigner who is feeling confused about her relationship with a Russian man and catches the train on an escapist whim. Aliocha also plans his own getaway from the bleak future mapped out for him, and he finds an accomplice in Helene who hides in her first-class cabin.
Maylis De Kerangal’s Eastbound is a short book – more novella than novel. But there’s so much to enjoy here. Beyond the thrill of the narrative (will Aliocha manage to defect? will the two novice conspirators be caught? will they make it to Vladivostock?), Eastbound is a poetic exploration of a sudden and unlikely relationship between two very different characters, who discover a shared bond despite their language and cultural differences. In Jessica Moore’s translation, the novel unspools in captivating, winding prose which seems to evoke the journey of the train. The train itself is a liminal setting, creating its own microcosm in which all the passengers are unmoored from their usual bearings. As such, the novella also raises themes of nationality and belonging.
Eastbound was originally published in French in 2006 but, especially in the context of the current war in Ukraine, it remains highly relevant topical. Although, it should be said, great literature never loses its relevance...
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