Petropolis

A wry, affecting view of post-soviet Russia and the USA.

Sasha Goldberg comes from the small Siberian town of Asbestos 2. The setting is so far away from my reality that the first part of the novel read almost like a period piece, except for the occasional reminders of "modern life" (also knowns as "North American life"), like a coveted strawberry eraser. Sasha's father has defected to America, and teenage Sasha follows as a mail-order bride. In America she attempts to find her father and to reconcile the two worlds that make up her life, the one she comes from and the one in which she now resides. Great!

5/5 stars.