Dmitry Zakharov “Bridge Protection Committee” M: AST, 2022

"This can't be"—that's the thought that begins to swirl in my head after reading a dozen pages. Then it gives way to another, more distinct one: "This shouldn't be." Journalist and writer Dmitry Zakharov's novel is based on the "Kansk teenagers" case, but it's not about that story. Zakharov's fantastical premise forms the novel's main intrigue and its greatest horror: according to a Siberian legend, either fictional or real, the world order is subordinated to a terrifying Winter Prosecutor, from whose attention there is no escape, but one can buy one's way by making a sacrifice, physical or spiritual. This history, whether fantastical or social, is presented in two perspectives: one straight out of newspapers and one mythological. Which of these is more terrifying remains a big question for readers.
"At first, the arrest of the schoolchildren seemed like a big deal. Then the bridge thing... And then—nothing. Beetroot prices have gone up, have you heard?"

