The Rhizome in and Around Sal'nikov’s The Petrovs in and Around the Flu

Abstract

As a rule, influenza is considered a dangerous infectious disease that spreads rapidly and chaotically. In his novel Petrovy v grippe i vokrug nego (The Petrovs in and around the Flu) (2016), Aleksei Sal’nikov undermines these notions by making a strong case for the salvific, albeit not immediately apparent, qualities of the flu. Much like the source of the viral infection that afflicts the Petrovs, the link between the events that aids the family’s recovery is imperceptible to them. By considering various connections between characters and events represented in the novel, I demonstrate that the spread of the flu, the characters’ interpersonal relations, and even the structure of the text are bound by the same rhizomatic logic, a concept proposed by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. The rhizome theory, I maintain, begins to explain the complexity of the novel’s structure, which is one of the main reasons for critics’ dissatisfaction with the text. As I show, according to the novel’s rationale, human relations and stories are more bound by biology than by human agency, free will, and personal choices.