The Year of the Comet

By: Sergei Lebedev

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Synopsis: A coming of age novel set in a crumbling Soviet Union by the acclaimed author of Oblivion—“the best of Russia’s younger generation of writers”(The New York Review of Books). As the Soviet Union edges toward collapse, a young boy’s idyllic childhood takes a sinister turn. Rumors of a serial killer haunt the neighborhood, families pack up and leave town without a word of warning, and the country begins to unravel. Policemen stand by as protesters overtake the streets, knowing that the once awe-inspiring symbols of power they wear on their helmets have become devoid of meaning. In The Year of the Comet, the acclaimed Russian poet and novelist Sergei Lebedev depicts a vast empire coming apart at the seams, transforming a very public moment into something delicate and personal. With stunning beauty and shattering insight, Lebedev writes about the tenderness of childhood, the legacy of Stalinism, and the growing consciousness of a boy in the world. “A clear poetic sensibility built to stand against the forces of erasure.” —The Wall Street Journal “This gorgeously written, unsettling novel . . . leaves us with a fresh understanding of that towering moment in recent history” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)