Free delivery on all orders above $30
Get 10% off all year round! Join Thryft Club
Get 10% off all year round and $10 off your next order! Join Thryft Club

Your cart

Your cart is empty

Check out these collections!

Bestselling Fiction
Bestselling Nonfiction
Bestselling Books for Children
Vintage and Rare Books
Vinyl Records
Women's Clothing
Men's Clothing

Stay in touch and win free books

Keep up with our latest sales and events, and receive
recommendations direct to your inbox. We'll only send the good stuff, promise!

By completing this form, you are signing up to receive our emails and can unsubscribe at any time

Gargling With Tar

by Jáchym Topol
$8.90
Gargling With Tar
Gargling With Tar

Dark coming-of-age, reflects boy and country's turmoil.

"Gargling With Tar" takes you through an intense journey that's as gritty and poignant as its title suggests. If you're drawn to stories that offer a window into historical events through personal, relatable experiences, this novel won't disappoint. It captures the essence of transformation amidst chaos, both for a nation and the life of a young protagonist, making it a compelling read for fans of emotionally charged, historical fiction.

  • European Book Prize Nominee for Fiction (2009)
  • Independent Foreign Fiction Prize Nominee for Longlist (2011)
  • Kniha roku (2005)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

Gargling With Tar

by Jáchym Topol
$8.90
Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

Find out more about our process here.

Special Offer

Buy 3, Get 1 Free On All Items Under S$10

Add 4 items under S$10 to your cart — the cheapest one is on us.

ISBN: 9781846271625
Authors: Jáchym Topol
Publisher: Granta Books
Date of Publication: 2013-08-01
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Historical Fiction
Related Topics: War
Goodreads rating: 3.61
(rated by 277 readers)

Description

Czechoslovakia, 1968. The Soviet troops have just invaded and, for the young orphan Ilya, life is suddenly turned on its head. At first there is relief that the mean-spirited nuns who run his orphanage have been driven out by the Red Army, but as the children are left to fend for themselves, order and routine quickly give way to brutality and chaos, and Ilya finds himself drawn into the violence. When the troops return, the orphans are given military training and, with his first-hand knowledge of the local terrain, Ilya becomes guide to a Soviet tank battalion, leading him ever deeper into a macabre world of random cruelty, moral compromise and lasting shame.
 

Dark coming-of-age, reflects boy and country's turmoil.

"Gargling With Tar" takes you through an intense journey that's as gritty and poignant as its title suggests. If you're drawn to stories that offer a window into historical events through personal, relatable experiences, this novel won't disappoint. It captures the essence of transformation amidst chaos, both for a nation and the life of a young protagonist, making it a compelling read for fans of emotionally charged, historical fiction.

  • European Book Prize Nominee for Fiction (2009)
  • Independent Foreign Fiction Prize Nominee for Longlist (2011)
  • Kniha roku (2005)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.