Amor Towles’ 2016 novel, A Gentleman in Moscow, is an exquisitely written tale about a Russian nobleman who finds himself on the wrong side of history after the 1917 Russian Revolution. When the new communist government declares Count Alexander Rostov an unrepentant aristocrat, he is sentenced to a lifetime of house arrest. Fortunately for the Count, he is exiled to Moscow’s luxurious Metropol Hotel, not a Siberian labor camp.
Ever the gentleman and the optimist, Count Rostov builds a life for himself, even as the walls – both literal and figurative – close in around him. Towles’ story subtly depicts how the tentacles of communism invade and strangle the human spirit. The Count, a clever man gifted with social graces and deep intellect, manages to maneuver through the descending darkness, finding contentment, if not the occasional delight, in a life well lived.
Count Rostov loses almost everything – his wealth, his freedom, his loved ones – to the communists. But the one thing the Bolsheviks cannot destroy is his spirit. And it’s that spirit which propels the story to an ending that only an indomitable character like Rostov could engineer.
I don’t often re-read novels, but A Gentleman in Moscow is worth a second (and probably a third) read. If you’ve read the book, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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