Boris Nosik’s heroes are often people who feel out of place, sometimes even ridiculous—but always internally free. Freedom is also characteristic of the author’s style: light humor and biting satire coexist with attention to everyday details and boundless fantasy. The story takes place at a pioneer camp, where a modest bibliographer—who by accident becomes a counselor—falls in love with a pioneer girl, yet does not follow in Nabokov’s Humbert’s footsteps…