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streberkatze's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I found this book because it was a shelt talker of my library, and I loved I so much! Language is usually not one of my reading doorways, but I deeply appreciated the way this story was written. As somege who came of age around the same time in a differrent part of the former Eastern Bloc, I found some of the protagonist's experiences to be really familiar, while others illustrated that even within that geopolitical region, the Soviet Union / post-Soviet Russia is its very own kind of beast. There were a few passages in the final third of the book that steered too much toward the didactical for my taste. But considering how little-known this particular historical context is, beyond the usual clichés, and how hard it was for the author to found an English-language publisher (as he stated in an interview), this choice makes sense to me. I still loved the book all the same!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Hate crime, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Child death, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Rape
Minor: Police brutality, Drug use, War, and Mass/school shootings
alonewolf's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
allyexa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Holy moly.
A childhood tale of a boy growing up in 80s-00s Siberia, and it was a very hard life. Add to that the fact that the boy was queer, small for his age, and loved poetry, and it’s amazing he lived to tell the tale.
Yes, the book was mostly bleak. Abuse, bullying, sexual assault of minors, poverty, oppression, government corruption, gang violence, etc, etc… But the boy and the story persist. Through the love of family and a few friends, the support of a handful of well-placed teachers and other adults over the years, and Alexey’s own true passion for learning, he keeps living and growing and figuring out life.
The writing is immersive, vividly drawing one into freezing pre-dawn two-hour treks to school, catching butterflies in babushka’s garden, riding all the semi-working transportation, sneaking into apartment blocks to hang out on the roof. I learned history alongside Alexey, who often had to learn from his cool friends or figure out what the real story was behind the propaganda. There was plenty of humor sprinkled throughout, and a great deal of understanding for some of the worst times and people.
Ah, I’m explaining it poorly. I’ll just say then, that the book moved me, I’m glad to have read it, I’ll never read it again, and I’m looking forward to reading part 2. If this is indeed a thinly veiled autobiography, then going from this childhood to living the enviable life from the author’s bio should be a wild and hopeful ride.
2/12/24
A childhood tale of a boy growing up in 80s-00s Siberia, and it was a very hard life. Add to that the fact that the boy was queer, small for his age, and loved poetry, and it’s amazing he lived to tell the tale.
Yes, the book was mostly bleak. Abuse, bullying, sexual assault of minors, poverty, oppression, government corruption, gang violence, etc, etc… But the boy and the story persist. Through the love of family and a few friends, the support of a handful of well-placed teachers and other adults over the years, and Alexey’s own true passion for learning, he keeps living and growing and figuring out life.
The writing is immersive, vividly drawing one into freezing pre-dawn two-hour treks to school, catching butterflies in babushka’s garden, riding all the semi-working transportation, sneaking into apartment blocks to hang out on the roof. I learned history alongside Alexey, who often had to learn from his cool friends or figure out what the real story was behind the propaganda. There was plenty of humor sprinkled throughout, and a great deal of understanding for some of the worst times and people.
Ah, I’m explaining it poorly. I’ll just say then, that the book moved me, I’m glad to have read it, I’ll never read it again, and I’m looking forward to reading part 2. If this is indeed a thinly veiled autobiography, then going from this childhood to living the enviable life from the author’s bio should be a wild and hopeful ride.
2/12/24
nicoleanneramirez's review against another edition
3.0
The way I feel about this book is similar to how I felt after reading Her Body And Other Parties by Carmen María Machado - the author has so much talent and so much of the prose is beautiful, but the organization and pacing wasn’t my favorite. Some of it felt like a nostalgic queer coming-of-age story and some of it felt like a wild history lesson and it didn’t always flow for me. I really wish I’d loved it but would like to read more from this author, and from Machado!
libraryfiend21's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
emikateb's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book, it was so hard to put down that I put off reading physical books and instead picked up my kindle any chance that I got. I love stories that follow a character over a long period of time in general but the way the Mozgovoy described the different periods made it all feel like I was growing up with Alexey instead of just reading about it. I also loved the writing style, it felt as if each word was deliberately placed to evoke certain emotions or senses. Overall this book was unlike anything I’ve ever read before! We need more queer coming-of-age-ish books set in places other than the US & UK where everything isn’t all sunshine and rainbows at the end because for so much of the queer community around the world that is the reality, and it’s easy to forget that when you are privileged enough to live in a society where you don’t have to live in fear every day. I want to read this book over and over and tell everyone else I know to read it as well because it’s such an important story that needs to be told. Thank you so much to the publisher and to Artem Mozgovoy for letting me read this early! I’m looking forward to reading more from you in the future!!
aworga's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Beautifully written and extremely moving. Vivid descriptions of landscape, other people, and sociopolitical happenings combine to create a portrait of a boy coming of age, rapidly changing, in a place that is trying to move forward while still being irrevocably tethered to its own past.
alenka_ballhausen's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bethreid's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0