This sounds like an interesting podcast series from M. Gessen: The Idiot. “Compassion has its limits when it comes to your own cousin.”
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It’s great so far (I’m right in the middle). The less you know about it going in, the better.
Now that I’m finished, I’m happy to say that I enjoyed it and appreciated the journalist’s eye and thorough reporting of the story. I can’t compare it to other podcasts because I haven’t kept up with Serial and haven’t listen to that many true crime podcasts, but this is about *so many* things without being explicitly about them. If you enjoyed it, there’s also this epilogue of sorts to listen to when you’re finished (I only have it queued up so posting without comment). Oh, and Overcast’s latest version with the transcription feature couldn’t have launched at a better time, especially for the recorded phone calls with Allen!
i found the host of this podcast to be mean spirited, gleeful as they tore down their cousin (who is undeniably a scoundrel). Felt to me strangely opportunistic for a NYT reporter to relish in delight over airing their own family's sad tale. anyone else feel this way?
True crime isn't really my thing, but the story pulled me in. I made it halfway through the second episode before it became too much — the host's close ties to the story just didn't sit right with me. I couldn't help wondering if he developed this story to advance his own career. The whole thing gave me an ick feeling.
M Gessen has been using their personal and family history to provide context in reporting - on oligarchy, authoritarianism and threats to civil liberties in Russia - for years. I'm curious if other commenters know about their work, as the idea that this personal history podcast would be solely to advance Gessen's career is sort of laughable. Gessen has been a public intellectual for several decades, 11 books, major stories, radio appearances, awards, etc. Whether the podcast series is mean-spirited or not is debatable, but the idea that it's an opportunistic play for attention by a nobody is lacking in context.
My first encounter with Masha Gessen was her The Future is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia, which is presented as non-fiction but reads like a novel. I haven't read her other books, but I go out of my way to catch her opinion pieces in the NYT and her occasional TV appearances. It strikes me that "The Idiot" is consistent with her autobiographical approach to telling stories. Having reached only chapter 3, I'm not sure what the point is yet, but I'll just read it for fun and try to find out.
I wasn't familiar with Gessen before this -- and I'm halfway through the series -- and this seems as much about them and their family's dynamic (both crowded but also extremely lonely?) as about their cousin. It's got me though -- definitely planning on finishing it.
I just kept waiting for some kind of perspective change, a twist if you will... but there was none. And I felt "idiot" was way too lighthearted for the character. Having said that, it's Serial-polished and very well built and edited.
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