Set in 1930s Russia, this darkly humorous, tragic, and ultimately heroic novel tells the tale of Vladimir, an eight-year-old Russian boy suddenly stricken with a chronic case of the hiccups. He soon finds himself spirited away to a Moscow hospital by the famous physician Sergei Namestikov, who puts him through a series of extraordinary—and often bizarre—treatments in an effort to find a cure. When Sergei’s chief medical rival, the brilliant Alexander Afiniganov, discovers that beneath Vladimir’s blank eyes lurks a pure, unbridled evil, he takes steps to remove the child from polite society. Abandoned by everyone but his hiccups, Vladimir decides to return to the world he once knew, encountering many strange people and situations along the way. Funny, poignant, and surreal, this is a close look at the nature of good and evil filled with a dazzling cast of characters.
The Last Hiccup: A Novel
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Review
"Each sentence is a tiny masterpiece." —Robin Shapiro, author, Dead Politician Society and Death Plays Poker
"A beautifully written novel, part folk tale, part parable, caught between inhalation and exhalation, like a hiccup in the throat." —Will Ferguson, author, Happiness
"The Last Hiccup is a loopy epic of Vonnegutian proportions, by turns pleasingly daffy, menacingly weird, and unpredictably poignant. Meades gives me much hope for the future of surreal CanHumLit (Canadian humour literature)." —Corey Redekop, author, Shelf Monkey
"Meades reveals himself [as] a gifted writer, deft with descriptions splashing surrealistic images. . . . An allegorical tale ripe with symbolism." —Kirkus Reviews (April 2012)
"This novel will amuse and touch lovers of original literature, both light and serious." —Library Journal (April 2012)
"The clean plotline and wacky, dark humor carry readers through every stage of his unusual story. . . . A strange and surprisingly touching novel about how people find good and evil where they look for them." —Booklist (April 2012)
About the Author
Christopher Meades is the author of The Three Fates of Henrik Nordmark and the short story "The Walking Lady," which was awarded the Toyon Fiction Prize. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Kprettejohn
Format:Paperback
I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Hiccup - it's full of clever dark humour and is hilariously witty. The book is fast paced and forces the reader to continually turn the pages. A great book with a fantastic ending. Highly recommended.
By AceofHearts
Format:Paperback
Vladimir is celebrating his eighth birthday when he starts hiccuping and continues and continues. Of course, his mother is very concerned and when the hiccupping does not stop travels from her small town in Russia to a bigger one in order to consult with a doctor. This doctor tries all the tried and true methods of stopping the hiccups to no avail.
Vlad is brought to Moscow by Sergei Namestikov, a famous physician. Numerous treatments are tried; bizarre, painful and unsuccessful. Sergei's nemesis and an even more famous doctor, Alexander Afiniganov is brought in to see Vlad.
Alexander believes that Vlad is the essence of pure evil and spirits him away from Moscow into the outer reaches of Mongolia. Vlad grows up comforted by his hiccupping and returns to Moscow a changed man.
This book is quirky and filled with dark humour. It is vaguely historical as it is set in 1930s Russia. I thoroughly enjoyed the read but felt I would have liked to read a bit more of Vlad's years in Mongolia.
I love the quirkiness of Christopher Meades' works. They really appeal to me. And I loved, loved, loved the ending.
Vlad is brought to Moscow by Sergei Namestikov, a famous physician. Numerous treatments are tried; bizarre, painful and unsuccessful. Sergei's nemesis and an even more famous doctor, Alexander Afiniganov is brought in to see Vlad.
Alexander believes that Vlad is the essence of pure evil and spirits him away from Moscow into the outer reaches of Mongolia. Vlad grows up comforted by his hiccupping and returns to Moscow a changed man.
This book is quirky and filled with dark humour. It is vaguely historical as it is set in 1930s Russia. I thoroughly enjoyed the read but felt I would have liked to read a bit more of Vlad's years in Mongolia.
I love the quirkiness of Christopher Meades' works. They really appeal to me. And I loved, loved, loved the ending.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
2 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lifelong case of hiccups
Mar 28 2012
By TChris
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Vladimir lives in Russia. In 1929, he develops a case of the hiccups. This is a normal affliction for an eight-year-old, but Vladimir's won't go away. No matter how many people shout "boo" at Vladimir -- his mother, his teacher, his doctor -- he continues to emit a hiccup every 3.7 seconds. Specialists are called in, using a series of increasingly drastic treatments that nearly kill Vladimir but fail to cure him. Unable to find a physical cause of Vladimir's condition, his treating physician decides the problem is psychosomatic and confines him in an asylum -- where, of course, his constant hiccuping drives the patients even madder than they already are.
Vladimir's physician is perplexed when a psychiatric specialist who asks Vladimir about love -- and then nearly every person Vladimir encounters -- comes to view Vladimir as a monster, "an evil spirit bathed in malice." That conclusion, adopted by others, leads to the search for a cure that lies beyond the realm of medicine, a cure that can only be found in Mongolia.
After a flash-forward to 1941, the adult Vladimir experiences an epiphany while standing in a waterfall, and it is time for him to leave. Vladimir's journey from Mongolia to Moscow is eventful, to say the least. Dodging the Red Army, the German Army, the Japanese Army, an irate farmer concerned about the virtue of a daughter who has none, a batty woman who refuses to acknowledge the death of her son, and hiccuping all the way, Vladimir returns to the hospital where he was once treated, and learns of the surprising impact his life (and hiccups) had on the people he once knew. His story goes on from there. And, difficult though it may be to believe, the story becomes even stranger.
What to make of the adult Vladimir? He might be deranged or he might be unusually focused. He lives in a society that condemns him but there are those who love him. It is easy for a reader to be both sympathetic to and a little repelled by the man Vladimir becomes. To what extent he is a creature of his own making (epiphanies notwithstanding) is unclear given the brutal history he has endured, yet in the end there is something admirable about this strange man. He is, in some ways, more pure, more innocent, less a monster than many of those his society holds in higher esteem.
The fascinating but bizarre tale that Christopher Meades tells is difficult to classify. Not quite a horror story, not quite a love story, not quite a war story, but with elements of each, The Last Hiccup is sort of a macabre comedy. Apart from mining the comic potential that inheres in hiccups, Meades generates laughs with professional jealousy, lust, war, religion, and a variety of other topics that the naïve Vladimir isn't quite equipped to comprehend. Yet what seems to start as light comedy becomes progressively darker as Vladimir becomes ever more aware of life's cruelty. Still, even the novel's darkest moments are brightened by the slapstick humor of absurd events.
Meades writes with droll wit while moving the story forward at a brisk pace. Supporting characters (like a narcoleptic nurse) are imbued with qualities that enhance their comedic appeal. All of this makes The Last Hiccup a thoroughly enjoyable story. I would give it 4 1/2 stars if that option were available.
Vladimir's physician is perplexed when a psychiatric specialist who asks Vladimir about love -- and then nearly every person Vladimir encounters -- comes to view Vladimir as a monster, "an evil spirit bathed in malice." That conclusion, adopted by others, leads to the search for a cure that lies beyond the realm of medicine, a cure that can only be found in Mongolia.
After a flash-forward to 1941, the adult Vladimir experiences an epiphany while standing in a waterfall, and it is time for him to leave. Vladimir's journey from Mongolia to Moscow is eventful, to say the least. Dodging the Red Army, the German Army, the Japanese Army, an irate farmer concerned about the virtue of a daughter who has none, a batty woman who refuses to acknowledge the death of her son, and hiccuping all the way, Vladimir returns to the hospital where he was once treated, and learns of the surprising impact his life (and hiccups) had on the people he once knew. His story goes on from there. And, difficult though it may be to believe, the story becomes even stranger.
What to make of the adult Vladimir? He might be deranged or he might be unusually focused. He lives in a society that condemns him but there are those who love him. It is easy for a reader to be both sympathetic to and a little repelled by the man Vladimir becomes. To what extent he is a creature of his own making (epiphanies notwithstanding) is unclear given the brutal history he has endured, yet in the end there is something admirable about this strange man. He is, in some ways, more pure, more innocent, less a monster than many of those his society holds in higher esteem.
The fascinating but bizarre tale that Christopher Meades tells is difficult to classify. Not quite a horror story, not quite a love story, not quite a war story, but with elements of each, The Last Hiccup is sort of a macabre comedy. Apart from mining the comic potential that inheres in hiccups, Meades generates laughs with professional jealousy, lust, war, religion, and a variety of other topics that the naïve Vladimir isn't quite equipped to comprehend. Yet what seems to start as light comedy becomes progressively darker as Vladimir becomes ever more aware of life's cruelty. Still, even the novel's darkest moments are brightened by the slapstick humor of absurd events.
Meades writes with droll wit while moving the story forward at a brisk pace. Supporting characters (like a narcoleptic nurse) are imbued with qualities that enhance their comedic appeal. All of this makes The Last Hiccup a thoroughly enjoyable story. I would give it 4 1/2 stars if that option were available.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Darkly comic, entertaining novel
April 6 2012
By Angie
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I thoroughly enjoyed this new book by Christopher Meades!
Meades has such a unique and quirky writing style. He is able to create a miniature work of art with each phrase - some bold word choices here, some subtle details there. All these touches come together to create a comprehensive vision of character and story unlike anything else that I have read.
The characters are multi-dimensional and I never quite resolved if I was routing for or against them. The darkly comic tone throughout the novel kept me smiling and sometimes even laughing out loud.
My only complaint is that I wish there was more. There is a significant time gap in the middle of book and I had to use my imagination to fill in the details - imagine that - an author making me think!
There are certainly elements of parable, lost father figures and growth expressed as a physical journey. But at a basic level it is simply an enjoyable story.
Meades has such a unique and quirky writing style. He is able to create a miniature work of art with each phrase - some bold word choices here, some subtle details there. All these touches come together to create a comprehensive vision of character and story unlike anything else that I have read.
The characters are multi-dimensional and I never quite resolved if I was routing for or against them. The darkly comic tone throughout the novel kept me smiling and sometimes even laughing out loud.
My only complaint is that I wish there was more. There is a significant time gap in the middle of book and I had to use my imagination to fill in the details - imagine that - an author making me think!
There are certainly elements of parable, lost father figures and growth expressed as a physical journey. But at a basic level it is simply an enjoyable story.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
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