The Wake

“Alexander Melikhov became famous for his ‘novels of ideas’—in this genre today only a few dare to work… In his new novel, Alexander Melikhov tackles the most difficult task of his entire career: he describes an American myth and its influence on Russian life. This book is about many things—but above all, about mysterious institutions where Soviet power was forged, and about how the last Soviet generation was formed: the most promising, talented, and unlucky. Of all of Melikhov’s books since ‘Plague,’ this one is the most captivating and requires the reader the least preparation—just live in Russia and look around.”