Radiant Terminus

Volodine rips readers away from the solid natural laws of our world and makes them confuse centuries for days in this strange postapocalyptic novel. After the fall of the Second Soviet Union and the meltdowns of multiple nuclear power plants, Kronauer and his two comrades leave the loyalist resistance army to wander the steppes. He treks into a forest to find help for one of his companions and encounters a community run by Solovyei, a man made immortal by the radiation. Kronauer soon learns Solovyei likes to creep into the minds of his three daughters. They hate their father’s intrusions but are susceptible to his influence, which has caused them to scorn men, including Kronauer. It’s not at all clear whether each character is dead or alive or merely part of Solovyei’s dream. The characters, though equipped with backstories, are little more than fodder for the novel’s intellectual musings. This tale lures readers into believing they’re on solid narrative ground, only to dissolve into a vortex of uncertainty. (Feb.)