It’s a reportage book with a lot of history.
Transnistria is one of the few states with limited recognition in the world. Officialy it’s a part of Republic of Moldova, but de facto it’s an autonomous state body. It has it’s own currency, flag, anthem and government. All instruments that characterize every independent country in the modern world. However, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (that’s the full name of this country) is in geopolitical limbo because it has no international recognition from any other full-fledged state.
The subject of Transnistria is little known and thanks to the author we will learn a lot of facts related to this region. First of all, we will find out what is the origin of this political entity. How local economy works and how the politics is implemented. That’s the biggest advantage and dissadvantage of this book at the same time. We will find a lot of facts and encyclopedic knowledge which is very well composed in this book. As for a reportage, however, for me there are too few real life stories and experiences gathered by the author during his numerous trips to Transnistria. That’s what a good reportage and non-fiction book is for me: collection of experiences and stories from local people. Even though the subject related to this region is familiar to me, I feel little bit unsatisfied after reading this book.
Overall I think that it’s a very precious book because it brings up a niche topic. I recommend reading it to better understand the history and geopolitical situation in this region of Europe.