What legacy has Russia’s cruel history left the country? Fen Montaigne comes up against this question again and again in this engaging book about 1990s Russia. What happens to a country that, for decades, has suffered under a system that kills or imprisons anyone who displays any sign of independent thinking or initiative? The answers Montaigne provides are thoroughly anecdotal, but though-provoking. The author is on a mission to fly-fish his way across the country (hence the title) but is more interested in the odd Russian characters he catches than the very few fish. A work of engaging journalism.