One Little Boy, Two Little Boys
Novel by Asya Demishkevich
Novel by Asya Demishkevich
ORIGINAL TITLE: Раз мальчишка, два мальчишка
ORIGINAL PUBLISHER: Alpina, 2024
192 PAGES
ORIGINAL PUBLISHER: Alpina, 2024
192 PAGES
ENGLISH SAMPLE AVAILABLE
“The cold instantly did away with the remaining scents and any confidence in anything whatsoever. I wanted to focus my attention on something familiar but couldn’t find anything. No houses, buildings, people, or animals—nothing but the ground, which was gray and frosty, and the sky with that the same silvery color sprawling above it. Off in the distance, on the iron-like ground, there were dozens—maybe even hundreds—of metal bed frames. With no matrasses, blankets, sheets, or pillows—completely naked, they were spread out until the very edge of a field facing the woods.“
A dark tale that draws from the tradition of Russian folklore, about the horrors and absurdities of a war waged against an invisible enemy.
Andrei is thirteen years old. After his mother died of an incurable disease, he lives with his father and mother-in-law. When news of a new-born joining the family emerges, Andrei becomes a burden and is sent away to join the army.
Upon his arrival at the training camp with a dozen other boys, all older than him, he discovers it to be a simple bare field with metallic beds placed directly on frozen earth. There are no commands, no training in sight, and the food is meager.
Among his fellow soldiers are two orphaned Buryat brothers, a fierce patriot, a military volunteer, a boy with an intellectual disability, a circus magician, and, as if from a Brechtian poem, two soldiers who are already dead.
Together, they wait in the November field for the training to commence, all the while sharing their stories with each other. The rare orders from the command are delivered through the voice of the mentally challenged boy. Meanwhile, the forest surrounding the field draws closer, concealing within its depths a dangerous and powerful force.
Andrei is thirteen years old. After his mother died of an incurable disease, he lives with his father and mother-in-law. When news of a new-born joining the family emerges, Andrei becomes a burden and is sent away to join the army.
Upon his arrival at the training camp with a dozen other boys, all older than him, he discovers it to be a simple bare field with metallic beds placed directly on frozen earth. There are no commands, no training in sight, and the food is meager.
Among his fellow soldiers are two orphaned Buryat brothers, a fierce patriot, a military volunteer, a boy with an intellectual disability, a circus magician, and, as if from a Brechtian poem, two soldiers who are already dead.
Together, they wait in the November field for the training to commence, all the while sharing their stories with each other. The rare orders from the command are delivered through the voice of the mentally challenged boy. Meanwhile, the forest surrounding the field draws closer, concealing within its depths a dangerous and powerful force.