The only character we truly meet is Olga. The only mystery here is how Olga managed to maintain her sanity for as long as she did. We bring our own personal experiences, likes and dislikes with us when we pick a book to read. The Crime of Olga Arbyelina is a book I would not have chosen. It is a difficult book to read filled with narrative intricacy and glimpses of human beings at their worst.
Incest is a difficult subject to deal with.
Accepting Olga may have meant climbing into her mind, into her madness with her. At the same time, I must be fair and say that I read this book cover to cover. Something in this novel made me read it. Author Andre Makine was born in Siberia in 1957. He was granted political asylum in Paris, France in 1987.