Viktor is lonely, having only Misha, his penguin, for company. He is also desperate, trying unsuccessfully to earn a living as a writer. Until one day he gets his long-awaited break: the editor-in-chief of a major newspaper commissions Viktor to write obituaries of Kiev's VIPs - to be kept on file lest they die unexpectedly.
The job pays well and Viktor's luck seems complete when the editor-in-chief sends along a friend who needs Viktor to compose an obituary of one of his associates. This friend, also called Misha, turns out to be a small-time crook with a big heart. Viktor confides to Misha-non-penguin that he longs to see his work published, even if under a pseudonym, but the subjects of his obituaries cling obstinately to life . . .
A few days later he opens the newspaper to find his work in print for the first time. His pride swiftly turns to terror as he and his penguin are dawn into a horrifying conspiracy from which there appears to be no escape.
This satirical portrait of post-communist Ukraine, ruled by nouveaux riches and the Mafia, is so hard-hitting that Kurkov has been accused of lacking patriotic spirit by his countrymen.
