Can a book reveal a hidden past? In this case: yes! In Alexander Solzheitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, we follow a day in the life of a prisoner, Ivan Denisovich Shukov, who is forced to labor in a Gulag. In it, we find out what a life of endless cycles body counts (for escapees), hard manual labor repeating day after day. Worse yet, when even the slightest mistake has been made, such as oversleeping by a few minutes results in ore hard labor, or even (as threatened to Shukov) solitary imprisonment. Throughout the day Shukov's thoughts shift from work to the thoughts of freedom and the futility of its approach. Shukov throughout the day slips further and further into desparation but this is disrupted when someone has been reported to have fled. The campis put on lockdown and the guard search the place, it is found out that he is still on the premises and is taken away. Mealtime has been delayed because of this and Shukov is quite maddened by this. After mealtime, work resumes and a snowstorm sweeps through. The prisoners are forced to work beyond the usual quitting time unitl the storm passes. This is just one day in Ivan Denisovich Shukov's life.
The work is well written and the subject is interesting, even if the plot may seem devoid of major events. It is appropriate for the subject and worthy of recognition, especially in the age of postmodern literature, where there are few noteworthy works and a lot more quickly forgotten, simplistic stories. Recommended!