Thus begins the wildly unconventional journey that the Dyachenkos take the reader on in Vita Nostra, which has safely earned its distinction as the most unorthodox book I have ever read. She reluctantly agrees to this strange task, and as soon as she's back on shore that first morning, she starts to vomit gold coins.
She is eventually confronted by this stranger, who entreats Sasha to wake up at 4 am every morning, go to the beach, take off all her clothes, and swim to a buoy and back. and suddenly all she could ever want.Ī complex blend of adventure, magic, science, and philosophy that probes the mysteries of existence, filtered through a distinct Russian sensibility, this astonishing work of speculative fiction-brilliantly translated by Julia Meitov Hersey-is reminiscent of modern classics such as Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, Max Barry’s Lexicon, and Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale, but will transport them to a place far beyond those fantastical worlds.Īt the start of this novel, 16-year-old Sasha Samokhina is on a seaside vacation with her mother, where after a few days she finds herself stalked by a mysterious man with pale skin and dark glasses. Yet despite her fear, Sasha undergoes changes that defy the dictates of matter and time experiences which are nothing she has ever dreamed of. Using terror and coercion to keep the students in line, the school does not punish them for their transgressions and failures instead, their families pay a terrible price. The books are impossible to read, the lessons obscure to the point of maddening, and the work refuses memorization. Against her mother’s wishes, Sasha leaves behind all that is familiar and begins her education.Īs she quickly discovers, the institute’s "special technologies" are unlike anything she has ever encountered. Though she does not want to go to this unknown town or school, she also feels it’s the only place she should be. As summer ends, her domineering mentor directs her to move to a remote village and use her gold to enter the Institute of Special Technologies. He rewards her effort with a strange golden coin.Īs the days progress, Sasha carries out other acts for which she receives more coins from Kozhennikov. The teenage girl is powerless to refuse when this strange and unusual man with an air of the sinister directs her to perform a task with potentially scandalous consequences.
While vacationing at the beach with her mother, Sasha Samokhina meets the mysterious Farit Kozhennikov under the most peculiar circumstances. The definitive English language translation of the internationally bestselling Ukrainian novel-a brilliant dark fantasy with "the potential to be a modern classic" (Lev Grossman), combining psychological suspense, enchantment, and terror that makes us consider human existence in a fresh and provocative way.
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