A World Elsewhere

This tender and unusual modern love story, written in a style peppered with literary allusions and riddles, is Russian novelist, Masha Spivak's first foray into English. Katia, born in the old USSR, has two dreams: Love, and the Freedom of the West. Although already married, she wants to marry a foreigner and embarks in the 90s on a passionate affair with a Dutchman, only to be used by him. Then in 2009 her husband leaves her for a younger, bustier piece of eye-candy and she is alone - husbandless, childless and in Moscow. A recuperative trip to the States to visit her oldest friend, Dora, who emigrated in the early 90s, leads to Katia finding true and mutual love with her best friend's husband. Katia ends up lost in a moral labyrinth, trying to cope with her ethical dilemma as she fights her love for Lev. At the same time, she supports another good friend Vava, who dies unexpectedly quickly of cancer, while reflecting on the memories of her indomitable grandmother. The finale blends past, present and future, with plans for murder and suicide, before Katia learns what is most important in life and what true freedom means.