It’s the End of the World, My Love

Generational traumas, broken relationships, and mystical encounters abound in this provocative novel in stories from Gorbunova (Ings & Oughts). In “Against the Law,” the first of four sections, Gorbunova relays precocious young poet Allochka’s rebellious and unorthodox adolescence in 1990s Saint Petersburg through vignettes recounting Allochka’s intense yet short-lived connections with her lovers. There’s the terrifying Marta, a poet whose feelings toward Allochka oscillate between love and disdain; and scarier still, the 28-year-old hired killer, Willy. Themes of debauchery, violence, and dispossession are further explored in the alluring “Wasted Youth Party,” about 12 strangers who attend a mysterious party to celebrate their wasted childhoods and are offered the chance to start over with a “clean slate.” Other entries like “Treasures in Heaven,” about a billionaire who constantly loans money to God, display a playful and charming irreverence, even when the narrative feels didactic. Throughout, Goburnova blends reality with fantasy, employing uncanny and magical elements that complement the work’s myriad characters and highlight the tragic nature of their circumstances, binding the book’s threads and eventually circling back to the history of Allochka and her family. Inventive and wildly evocative, this affects and disturbs in equal parts. Agent: Julia Goumen, BGS. (Nov.)