An atmospheric drama about a heroine’s return to the heart of Karelia—a place where time flows more slowly than elsewhere, and the boundary between past, present, and future becomes blurred. – A poignant parable-novel exploring the clash between the old and the new, and the lives of those who stayed behind when everyone else left. – For admirers of contemporary social fiction set in the Russian hinterland—infused with ethnographic motifs and a subtle touch of mysticism.