Where Is Dad?

There can hardly be anyone in the world that Lisa loves more than her father. How could you not love such a dad who gets along with everyone? A father who believes that every child needs a vaccination of kindness? A father who helps with advice and knows everything about other people? But apparently you can: he suddenly gets taken into custody. For five years.

And, most of all, it happens exactly when there’s so much you want to tell him: about a new friend, Andrey; about his silly desire to get involved with Fox’s bad crowd; but above all—about Kyara, his younger sister. This two-year-old girl changed Lisa’s life so much that the one everyone at school calls “the Silent” can’t stop wanting to chat, laugh, and tell in details how she spent the days with Kyara’s company.

Julia Kuznetsova’s heroines—teenage girls—are always contradictory and, in the best sense of the word, reflexive. Lisa Makarova from the story «Where’s Dad?» is observant: she constantly compares herself to the people around her and tries to understand both other people’s actions and her own emotions. When you’re 13, it’s often that the family times are difficult, and your life, on the contrary, blossoms. The first experience of that kind of separation hurts and is invaluable at the same time.

The author’s ability, in just a few phrases, to describe even a secondary character—creating a memorable personality—makes Julia Kuznetsova’s books special. This is noted by both readers and critics: the stories «Дом П» and «Первая работа», published by «KompasGid», received enthusiastic reviews and quickly became hits. The works of Julia Kuznetsova have been awarded the «Cherished Dream» and «Kniguru» prizes, as well as the V. P. Krapivin International Children’s Prize. «Where’s Dad?» is aimed primarily at teenagers and their parents.