“The Gloomy River” is Vyacheslav Shishkov’s family saga novel, with the backdrop of the Siberian gold rush—Russian classics, historical literature.
The novel is set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries around the Gromov family. The protagonist’s grandfather, Danila Gromov, engaged in robberies. Dying, he passed money to his son, revealing its origin. His son, Pyotr Gromov, invested in entrepreneurship and raised his own son, Prokhor—the main character of the novel—worthy of an heir. Prokhor Gromov proved to be a determined man with a strong character, which led him to the pinnacle of wealth and power in the Siberian region. But the evil committed by Danila seemed to pursue the family through every generation. Misfortunes in the Gromov family happen one after another. Prokhor, who was initially an honest and moral man, sinks into the swamp of evil.