Smell of Ashes (Book)

Black Snow is a crime novel by Ahmet Ümit, published in 1998. The book centers on a murder mystery set in Moscow, Soviet Union, before the 1980 coup. The central plot revolves around the killing of a young revolutionary student from Türkiye who had traveled to Moscow for education under socialist ideology. Amidst the snowy and cold streets of Moscow, shrouded in an atmosphere of political tension and betrayal, reader attempts to uncover the secrets behind the murder.

• Commissioner Yevgeni Borisovich: The Soviet detective investigating the murder. He is a calm, disciplined, and resolute character.
• The Narrator (Name Unspecified): A revolutionary student from Türkiye and the novel’s protagonist. The events are observed through his perspective.
• Mustafa: The murdered revolutionary student. An active figure among the group of students from Türkiye in Moscow.
• Elif: Mustafa’s lover. She plays a significant role in the murder investigation.
• Other Students: A group of students involved in the revolutionary struggle, each with distinct personality traits. All have been shaped by their pasts, their ideals, and the harsh conditions of life in Moscow.

The novel opens with the murder of a Turkish student named Mustafa in a student dormitory in Moscow. As the protagonist, alongside Soviet detective Yevgeni Borisovich, works to solve the crime, the internal conflicts, betrayals, and political struggles among the revolutionary students in Moscow come to light.

Roman does not merely present a murder mystery but also lays bare the political climate in Türkiye before the 12 September 1980 coup, the hardships faced by revolutionaries, and the rigid socialist structure of the Soviet Union. Main character, while following the progress of the investigation, also engages in deep introspection about his own ideals, past, and future.

• Ideology and Revolutionary Struggle: The internal dynamics of the left-wing movement in Türkiye before the 1980 coup, the ideological training provided by the Soviet Union, and the disillusionments experienced by revolutionaries.
• Murder and Tension: The murder investigation and the mysterious atmosphere of the plot, central to its identity as a crime novel.
• Betrayal and Trust: The themes of trust among individuals within the revolutionary movement and the betrayals that emerge over time.
• Political and Social Critique: Ahmet Ümit offers a critical perspective on both the rigid bureaucratic system of the Soviet Union and the internal contradictions of the revolutionary movement in Türkiye.
• Atmosphere of the Cold War Era: The novel meticulously captures the social and political atmosphere of Moscow in the 1980s, providing historical depth.