Book Review: The thirty-one legs of Vladimir Putin, by P S Cottier and N G Hartland

Front cover of novella "The thirty-one legs of Vladimir Putin", by P S Cottier and N G Hartland

The thirty-one legs of Vladimir Putin, by P S Cottier and N G Hartland (Braidwood, NSW: Finlay Lloyd Publishing, 2024), 115pp, https://finlaylloyd.com/product/the-thirty-one-legs-of-vladimir-putin-ps-cottier-ng-hartland/

Reviewed by Tim Jones.

Autocrats and body doubles go together like Elon Musk and Nazi salutes. Stalin had body doubles, Saddam Hussein had body doubles, and I wouldn’t be surprised if, somewhere in America, a small fleet of actors are even now applying the orange spray tan and putting on the mannerisms, the cruelty, the tiny hands.

So it’s very likely Vladimir Putin has his own set of look-alikes. This excellent novella – maybe it’s more accurate to call it a collection of linked stories – takes that concept and runs with it. The thirty-one legs of Vladimir Putin won the annual 20/40 publishing prize, for works of fiction and nonfiction between 20K and 40K words, and that win was well deserved.

In 18 short chapters, plus a Prologue, the authors take us on a worldwide, whirlwind tour of men who have the good or ill fortune to resemble Vladimir Putin in appearance. They have been paid by Russian functionaries to stand by to stand in for the big boss. Some Putins are pleased with the deal, others are having doubts both practical and existential. From Valparaiso to The Hague, what with invading Ukraine and all, it’s hard out here for a Putin.

Each chapter is a snappy portrait of a man and a place. There are hints of an arc plot whirring away in the background, but it’s mostly implied rather than overt. It comes to the fore as the book nears its end, especially in the final two chapters, which revisit the Putins from the Prologue (Aussie Putin Dave McDermott) and Chapter 1 (English Putin Samuel Chatswood). A Putin’s life is not a happy one.

The quality of the prose and the specificity of the descriptions are among the pleasures of this book – but what I most enjoyed is the subtle shifts of tone within and between chapters, from menace to humour to those uncomfortable places in between.

Why thirty-one legs, you may ask? Buy the book to find out – and buy it for a short, punchy, amusing, thought-provoking read that, unlike taking on the role of a Vladimir Putin lookalike, you won’t regret.

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