I read the book Grey Bees by Kurkov.  The story is about a beekeeper in
the zone between Ukraine and separatist region.  It took a comfortable 
pace showing the passage of time and the few relations that Seergeich
finds.  In this respect it reminds me of Chekov's Cherry Orchard.  Then,
after talking to a friend, I realized it also talks about isolation.  
The relations all seem fleeting, between Pashka, Vitala, the dead man on 
the field, Galya, the Tatars, and so on.  Even between the bees, groups 
of people, and the name of street signs, the interactions are brief and 
transcendent.  I think my friend is right.

This is a good book to read.  I could read a short chapter and then pick 
it up again at a later time without difficulty.