Fucking grim. It's the account of a guy who spent years in a Russian gulag back in the 40's. Reading it the question always pops up for me of "how are humans able to carry on no matter how grim the outlook?". Knowing that whilst you might have a ten year sentence often the prisoner would be told at the end of it "we're adding another ten years, and there's nothing you can do". Where do people find the energy to carry on? It reminds me of that line in Samuel Beckett's story 'The Unnamable' "you must go on, I can't go on, I'll go on.".
There have been more famous boks about guags released "One day in the life..." etc. but why this one isn't more well know I'll never know.