The Stranger by Max Frei

This is a strange book. It's a translation from the Russian of the first of the books of Echo. I sincerely don't know what to make of it. I'm generally a great fan of Russian literature and have been following a number of authors as their work is translated.
This was given to me by a friend who couldn't get on with it and after the first fifty pages I knew exactly what they meant (although they did say they thought I'd like it...so that's something to talk to them about). It's a bit boy's own, almost like Enid Blyton's version of Harry Potter but at the same time it's also a bit like Rupert Bear. In some senses it's never quite clear whether the protagonist is not even maybe just mad and experiencing  all of this in their own head.
At the other extreme part of me is wondering if it's all an elaborate joke, a fabulous parody of the end of the Soviet era (which one can see some distinct parallels in the history of Echo and the real Russian experience of the last few years) and at the same time a very dark satire of how the KGB and ruling Russian Oligarchy has changed and adapted, finally re-emerging in their current incarnations but still ruling Russia pretty much as they have done for the last century.
Potentially biting satire aside this is a strange book and it's difficult to know whether the translation is poor or whether the writing in the original is lacking but there is never any tension in this book and barely any real explanation. Couple that with the fact that the book is really a collection of lengthy short stories featuring the same hero and it's hard to come away from it with a positive outlook.
The best thing about The Stranger? The backcover blurb, which makes it seem much grittier and more interesting than it actually is.
One to avoid if I'm honest.