Published 2nd March 2022 by Sandstone.
From the cover of the book:
‘When it’s time to hang the capitalists, they will sell us the rope.’
May 1907.
Young Stalin – poet, bank-robber, spy – is in London for the 5th Congress of the Russian Communist Party. As he builds his powerbase in the party, Stalin manipulates alliances with Lenin, Trotsky, and Rosa Luxemburg under the eyes of the Czar’s secret police.
Meanwhile he is drawn to the fiery Finnish activist Elli Vuokko and risks everything in a relationship as complicated as it is dangerous.
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It's 1907 and an extraordinary conference is being held in the East End of London - the 5th Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Party. An unlikely happening for the streets of Stepney, the conference is gathering together delegates from many different parts of the Communist movement, including guiding lights from within the Bolshevik and Menshevik factions, to discuss matters of policy and how to take their cause forward - even such luminaries as Lenin, Trotsky, Rosa Luxemberg, Maxim Gorky, Maria Andreyeva, and a young Josef Stalin.
The Congress is viewed with interest by opponents and sympathisers to the cause alike, especially by Okhrana agents from the Tsar's secret police force, who have their own devious ways of manipulating what happens inside the conference hall. The days pass slowly giving time for Stalin to have a few adventures in the grimy streets of London, and he finds himself drawn to a feisty young delegate from Finland, called Elli Vuokko, who is also taken under the wing of Rosa Luxemberg. This is an attraction that puts them under the shadow of suspicion, and as the fractures in the Party begin to show, very real danger lies ahead for them both...
Sell Us the Rope is a reimagining of the factual events of the 1907 5th RSDP Congress, which really did take place in the unlikely quarters of down-at-heel Stepney, in the East End of London. As bizarre as this sounds, some very famous names from the Communist movement spent the days of the conference arguing matters of policy and intent, and the resulting shenanigans provide an intriguing backdrop to this story.
May shines some fascinating light on Stalin in these pages, making his portrayal of a character we normally think of as a monster surprisingly human. There is certainly good in the character at this point in time, which we see through his interactions with Arthur, the son of his London landlord; his relationship with Vuokko; and his reflections on his wife and son; but May does not shy away from delving into the darkness that lies at Stalin's heart too, especially the way he broods on his difficult upbringing, and how the resulting resentment festers at his core.
There are many surreal moments in this novel that make it a very entertaining read, but it is actually the way May casts a prophetic eye on what is to come in the years that follow, while offering a satirical snapshot of the rise of Communism, that make this such an impressive book. You cannot fail to be aware of the conflict between the soft-handed intellectual and calloused-palmed worker elements of the Party, particularly through the eyes of Stalin and I really enjoyed how May uses these threads to examine how this shapes him into the man he becomes. It's evident that few realise quite how dangerous Stalin will be in the future - how their high-handed manipulation and contempt for a seemingly lowly player in the game affects the course of his ambition. This adds a real feeling of menace throughout - despite the glimpses of Stalin's still present softer side. In many ways, it reminds me of Armando Iannucci's cracking film The Death of Stalin in the way it combines humour with poignancy, whilst flooding the piece with transfixing history. And while we are on the subject of humour... oh my, the Okhrana spies, the Bunins - a simultaneously humorous and chilling combination!
Beyond the central theme, there are some cracking female characters in this story. I loved how May gives them centre stage on and off through Vuokko and Luxemberg, the one all keen and feisty, and the other older, wiser and much more jaded - both of them looking at the prospect of freedom and equality under Communism from different stand-points. Their developing relationship was rather lovely, and their communal bathing episodes so very touching. The cameo by Maria Andreyeva, as she shares her valuable pointers on how to form a connection with potential donors, was brilliant too. Kudos to May for highlighting the role of women in history here.
This really is a stunning read, with a rather brilliant title, and I might add a timely one given the historical perspective it offers about the complex history of Russia. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Sell Us the Rope is available to buy now in ebook and paperback, from your favourite book retailer, or direct from Sandstone HERE.
About the author:
Stephen May is the author of five novels including Life! Death! Prizes! which was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award and The Guardian Not The Booker Prize. He has also been shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year and is a winner of the Media Wales Reader’s Prize. He has also written plays, as well as for television and film. He lives in West Yorkshire.
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