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Published Feb 2017
245 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
From the critically acclaimed author of Oblivion comes Year of the Comet, a story of a Russian boyhood and coming of age as the Soviet Union is on the brink of collapse.
An 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. Lebedev depicts a vast empire coming apart at the seams, transforming a very public moment into something tender and personal, and writes with stunning beauty and shattering insight about childhood and the growing consciousness of a boy in the world.
"Starred Review. A seamlessly written child's-eye view that conveys an adult understanding of history's burdens." - Library Journal
"Starred Review. This gorgeously written, unsettling novel - a rare work about the fall of the Soviet Union as told through the eyes of a child - leaves us with a fresh understanding of that towering moment in recent history." - Kirkus
"The plot remains widely relatable in depicting conflicts of consciousness - the speaker's attempts to reconcile the contradictions between ideology and individuality. This is a smart, convincing, and affecting novel." - Publishers Weekly
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Sergei Lebedev was born in Moscow in 1981 and worked for seven years on geological expeditions in northern Russia and Central Asia. His first novel, Oblivion, has been translated into many languages.
Name Pronunciation
Sergei Lebedev: SER-gay LEH-beh-dehv
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