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macrosinthemitten's review against another edition
5.0
A slow burning, beautiful story that centers around a young Russian boy named Ilya and his quest to exonerate his older brother, Vladimir, who has admitted to murdering three young women in Russia. Ilya, academically gifted, has been given the opportunity to go to America for an exchange program for young scholars. The story goes back and forth between the past in Ilya’s hometown of Berlozhniki and the present day in New Orleans with his host family. Ilya is convinced his brother is innocent and is trying to figure out why he confessed and who actually committed the murders. This is such a beautiful literary novel that has so much depth and nuance to it - the ties that bind us together, sibling rivalries and bonds, love, heartbreak, addiction. It’s easy to see the juxtaposition of the desolate and bleak going nowhere town of Berlozhniki and the hopeful optimism of New Orleans and Ilya’s new life. Such an amazing book!
oblivien's review
4.0
Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. 70% of the book was very slow. I would love to see more interactions between Ilya and the host parents.
whiskers_and_lipstick's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
_mor06_'s review
3.0
In general the book is endearing and well written. However, after reading the synopsis, this book was incredibly different than what I expected. You follow the story of two young Russian brothers, Ilya and Vladimir, one of whom has a solid future ahead of him, and the other who falls into a darker path of life. Ilya gets the chance to become an American exchange student to a family in a small town in Louisiana. However, he arrives with his shoulders weighed down with grief, and a mystery he’s determined to solve.
Although I got the bits and pieces of the fluffy book I expected, the whole plot line was generally too long. I enjoyed the back and forth between the past and present, it helped create a suspense that kept you hooked. But I found the book about 150 pages too long, so much of the story seemed unnecessary filler that included small important details, but not major enough to warrant their own chapters. Furthermore, the true mystery isn’t solved until 20 pages left in the book, and the result seems rushed and anticlimactic to the suspense that the novel built up for the solution. I found it very hard to like let alone drum up sympathy for Vladimir; he was apathetic so much of the time and as much as I understood his desperation and frustration, I simply could not like him or get invested in his character like I did with Ilya. It’s a well written book with well thought out characters, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. Too long and dragged on a bit too much for my liking!
Although I got the bits and pieces of the fluffy book I expected, the whole plot line was generally too long. I enjoyed the back and forth between the past and present, it helped create a suspense that kept you hooked. But I found the book about 150 pages too long, so much of the story seemed unnecessary filler that included small important details, but not major enough to warrant their own chapters. Furthermore, the true mystery isn’t solved until 20 pages left in the book, and the result seems rushed and anticlimactic to the suspense that the novel built up for the solution. I found it very hard to like let alone drum up sympathy for Vladimir; he was apathetic so much of the time and as much as I understood his desperation and frustration, I simply could not like him or get invested in his character like I did with Ilya. It’s a well written book with well thought out characters, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. Too long and dragged on a bit too much for my liking!
justjoel's review against another edition
3.0
This is the story of a teen Russian boy who comes to the United States as part of a student exchange program. It is told through dual timelines, past and present, though the past doesn't consistently move forward in chronological order, seeming to skip around somewhat randomly at times.
The story begins with Ilya walking past his waiting foster family in the airport, and we soon learn he is troubled that he had to leave his brother, Vladimir, behind. The reasons for this unfold slowly over the course of the novel, revealing how Ilya and Vladimir had to share a single bed, and their single mother and grandmother struggle to raise them.
I think saying too much more would be venturing into spoiler territory, but basically Ilya struggles with assimilating into America he's worked so hard to get to for most of his life, and is burdened by the guilt of leaving Vladimir behind, and how it seems unfair that only he should be given this opportunity.
The novel's resolution wrapped up most of the details that came to light over its course. This was far from a perfect novel, but it was a good one, especially for a debut, and I'd definitely read more from the author.
3 out of 5 stars.
The story begins with Ilya walking past his waiting foster family in the airport, and we soon learn he is troubled that he had to leave his brother, Vladimir, behind. The reasons for this unfold slowly over the course of the novel, revealing how Ilya and Vladimir had to share a single bed, and their single mother and grandmother struggle to raise them.
I think saying too much more would be venturing into spoiler territory, but basically Ilya struggles with assimilating into America he's worked so hard to get to for most of his life, and is burdened by the guilt of leaving Vladimir behind, and how it seems unfair that only he should be given this opportunity.
The novel's resolution wrapped up most of the details that came to light over its course. This was far from a perfect novel, but it was a good one, especially for a debut, and I'd definitely read more from the author.
3 out of 5 stars.
kealex02's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book. It came with such high recommendations, and the plot itself is interesting and unique. I just found it so difficult to get into. I did finish the book, and I found the ending satisfying, but the slow pacing and the lack of character development of all but the brothers (and Sadie) made this one a less than stellar read for me.