Book Review: Sunflower by Aleksandr Jarid
Aleksandr Jarid has a number of novels and a collection of short stories to his name. He is a lover of history, healthy living, and is also deeply fascinated by the human psyche. This fascination is notable in much of his written work, and Sunflower is no exception. It is a highly personal and emotionally-driven book, where the thriller plot devices lay foundation to the mental struggles of its main character. Readers are therefore guaranteed a consistently turbulent delve into one person's battle with themselves and the world around them.
Sunflower tells the story of Hugo Jenson, a freelance journalist with no shortage of trauma and past regrets. Anxiety, loneliness and self-loathing dominate his thoughts, and his future appears to contain nothing more than all-out existential collapse. His only refuge of escape is within the works of the iconic painter, Vincent van Gogh, in particular, Van Gogh's legendary ‘Sunflower’ collection. Through Van Gogh’s well-documented inner turmoil, Hugo finds a kindred spirit, and so uses Van Gogh’s artistry and philosophies as the ideal comparison for his own mental struggles.
On meeting a mysterious man with a shady past, Hugo’s expertise on the subject of all things Gogh is called upon to locate one of the most well-sought after treasures in the artist community; A missing, presumed destroyed, addition to the ‘Sunflower’ collection. In the span of a single meeting, Hugo’s inert life in London is turned upside down, and replaced with a perilous trek across Egypt. Demons from his past and inadequacies in his present awake with new found vigor, as he is forced to face danger, loyalty, morality, alongside his own declining mental health.
Sunflower, delves deep into the bones, brains and guts of a man who harbors a great deal more negativity than hopefulness, and does so across two main narratives. The present day escapades of Hugo’s journey across Egypt alongside his newly-made friend Femi, is interspersed with the past events in London which led him to the risky predicament of his current day self. Through these dual narratives, readers gather the full picture of Hugo Jenson’s life piece by piece, and revelations continue to emerge right until the end. The full circle of this story is completed only in the closing moments.
Not only are the inner workings of the main protagonist’s mind exposed to the reader with no inhibitions, Sunflower also delivers the key moments of Hugo’s life-experiences which led him to become the person depicted in this story. These experiences are often dark and unsettling, and dense descriptions of their psychological impact ensure that Hugo’s position as a tormented introvert is justified and understandable. The objective of locating the painting in turn becomes something deeply personal, making Sunflower a highly introspective work of fiction.
Aleksandr Jarid is quick to set the tone of the book, pulling readers hard and fast into the complex thought process of the central protagonist, and holding them there for the duration of the novel. Hugo’s first person perspective is where audiences permanently reside, and the external events unfold as seen through his own eyes. When the book isn’t weaving the engaging narrative of a quest for a lost artifact, it’s providing a compelling case study of the human brain. Sunflower is very efficient at this. There is little or no wasted space in the pages and every narrative component serves a purpose. Its blending of past and present is an effective way of making all the pieces fit, and helps to clarify what is a decidedly chaotic viewpoint. Whilst Hugo is lost, readers most certainly aren’t.
Also adding extra gravitas to an already gripping tale is the density with which Jarid describes the history and popular misconceptions of Vincent van Gogh. What are surely Aleksandr’s own personal observations of the works of Van Gogh are cited as Hugo’s, and this knowledgeable perspective brings a lot of credibility to the main character and the book as a whole. Also compelling are the psychiatric evaluations of the human mind. Hugo’s sessions with his counselor Fiona, provide insight not just into the process of dealing with trauma, but how an imperfect brain such as Hugo’s can struggle to interpret these methods. Scientific fact and unpredictable humanity collide in fair balance.
Another particularly admirable component of Sunflower is the novel’s ending. Not a great deal can be said without ruining the surprise, suffice to say that it would be easy to trainwreck an otherwise gripping psychological thriller with an over-the-top closing spectacle. Fortunately, Sunflower delivers the opposite. The book lands firmly on its feet in its final chapters, bringing all the story’s themes to full fruition in a poignant and credible resolve that offers readers a lot more than they expected. Aleksandr Jarid therefore deserves extra credit for ending this book in a noble and intelligent fashion.
All parts combined, Sunflower is a thought-provoking, exciting and addictive read, penned by a writer who puts character before cliche, and keeps humanity at the forefront of everything he writes. This novel’s blend of darkness, mystery and drama ensures that readers get a hefty bang for their buck, and the narrative structure allows a lot of space for intrigue before all the secrets are revealed. Hugo might not be the happiest character, but the world he occupies is an engaging one, and the journey he takes is near impossible to resist. Aleksandr Jarid displays no shortage of passion and skill, thus planting a flag of recommendation firmly in this particularly striking addition to his body of work.
You can learn more about Aleksandr Jarid and his work at his aleksandrjarid.com.
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