BOOK REVIEW / Paperbacks: Little Apple - Leo Perutz, trs John Brownjohn: Harvill, pounds 7.99

A historical novel about one German officer's mission to take revenge on the Russian staff captain who insulted him. The hero, Vittorin, crosses Russia during the revolution, joining forces with White Russian, Red Army and anarchist alike in pursuit of his aim, and leaving in his wake dead comrades and abandoned women and family. It can be read as an adventure story, a history lesson or an allegory of war.