The Year of the Comet

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What to expect

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.

Critics Review

  • “Examines the psychological trauma Stalinism continues to unleash—even on those who never lived during his reign…Antonina W. Bouis has translated the best of Soviet and post-Soviet writings…and the ease with which she renders Mr. Lebedev’s prose creates the illusion that both his novels were originally written in English.”

    Wall Street Journal

  • “Depicts objects in a stunningly, almost freakishly precise way, coaxing the metaphysical to express itself through the material.”

    Times Literary Supplement (London)

  • “Gorgeously written…leaves readers with a new insight into a towering moment in modern history.”

    Winnipeg Free Press

  • “One of the best novels to come out of Russia in a generation.”

    Shelf Awareness (starred review)

  • “Absorbing…A seamlessly written child’s-eye view that conveys an adult understanding of history’s burdens.”

    Library Journal (starred review)

  • “You read and reread Lebedev’s lyrical, cutting prose with equal amounts of awe and enjoyment…Gorgeously written, unsettling.”

    Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

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