Insomnia

Den moved to America. For now, he studies at a university in Chicago. The semester goes on as usual: the 19-year-old selectively attends classes, makes new acquaintances, and is reluctant and slow to fall in love. Here, far from his native Moscow, life could seem gray to him—if not for one «but»: in the drawer there lies a securely hidden black bundle. Inside is the true purpose of the trip.

Eugeny Rudashevsky’s new diary-like novel describes the moment of painful, inevitable transition from «teenagerhood» to adulthood. On the threshold of his 20th birthday, the main character for the first time realizes that he is far from almighty, and that the world is far from ideal. It’s not too late for Den to take everything into his own hands and change: to get rid of his father’s pressure («You’ll be a great lawyer—your place is already waiting!»), throw himself into creativity, and accept reality with all its flaws. Or, at least, live the kind of life the heroes of his beloved Kerouac had: gather friends, jump into a car, and drive off wherever the eyes look.

Eugeny Rudashevsky is perhaps the foremost expert in teen (at least male) psychology among contemporary authors. It’s as if he never became an adult himself—so accurately are recreated the thoughts and feelings of his heroes from 14 to 20 years old. The novel «Insomnia,» on the one hand, differs from the popular novellas «Hello, My Brother Bzau!» «Where Does Kumutkan Go?» and «The Raven», but on the other hand it shares their mood. If in those novellas—as in the book «Solongo. The Secret of a Missing Expedition»—the heroes resisted nature, then here Den’s main challenge is against his family and against himself. Does he need to live up to anyone’s expectations? Is there a personal path for you—and if so, how do you get onto it?

The YA series (young adults) continues the «KompasGid» collection «Generation www.» At the beginning of the 2010s it became widely known thanks to such talked-about novels as «Say, Red Riding Hood» by Beate Teresa Hanika and «Pretending to Be Dead» by Stefan Casta. Launched in 2010, that selection was the first in Russia aimed at a young adult audience («young adults»), and now the line is expanding under a new name. «YA» brings together books that could only be written in our days—sharp, audacious, relevant challenge novels for readers aged 16 and up. The series design was done by the well-known designer and co-founder of Typomania festival, Alexander Vasin. For upper secondary school age.