I know nothing about Russia, really very little. After reading this book, I'm realising that I knew even less than I thought. It's just so... different.

The book itself is very well-written - easy to follow, and it chugs along at pace. I didn't get bored, nor did I get lost or confused which is always a possibility when reading about the unfamiliar. I do think the back-of-the-book classification of this as a biography is a bit misleading, however. It's much more the exploration of the political strategies and environment that have grown up around one person, rather than an in-depth study of that one person's life.

The author's portrait of Putin is certainly a disturbing one. Not so much the man himself, although he doesn't come off well here (and that is an understatement) but the society that exists around him. If even a fraction of this book is true - and it seems well-researched, especially the second half - then there is an enormous population of people on the other side of the world who are prepared to put up with an awful lot from their politicians. I mean really a despicable amount. That is just completely alien to me, and suddenly I feel a bit extra glad to live where I do.

I am interested in reading more about the chess player Kasparov, though. From what Gessen says his political efforts didn't much pan out, but he seems to have an interesting mind.