Vita Nostra

The definitive English translation of the worldwide best-selling Ukrainian novel—a brilliant dark fantasy that Lev Grossman says has "the potential to be a modern classic" and combines psychological suspense, enchantment, and terror to provoke new and thought-provoking perspectives on human existence.

Our existence is fleeting...

Unusual circumstances lead Sasha Samokhina to encounter the enigmatic Farit Kozhennikov while on vacation at the beach with her mother. When this weird and peculiar guy with a menacing aura asks the adolescent girl to do a job that might cause controversy, she is unable to refuse. He gives her a weird golden coin as payment for her efforts.

As the days go by, Sasha does further deeds for which Kozhennikov gives her additional money. Her overbearing adviser tells her to relocate to a secluded community as summer draws to a conclusion and use her wealth to get admission to the Institute of Special Technologies. She thinks that this is the only place she should be, despite her dislike of the unfamiliar town and school. Sasha starts her schooling against her mother's desires and departs behind everything familiar.

She soon learns that the "special technologies" of the institution are unlike anything she has ever come across. The work defies recollection, the books are unreadable, and the teachings are so confusing as to be frustrating. The school uses fear and force to discipline the children, but instead of holding them accountable for their mistakes, their families suffer greatly as a result. But in spite of her anxiety, Sasha experiences transformations that transcend the laws of physics and time; they are sensations beyond her wildest dreams and suddenly everything she could ever want.

This amazing work of speculative fiction—brilliantly translated by Julia Meitov Hersey—is reminiscent of modern classics like Lev Grossman's The Magicians, Max Barry's Lexicon, and Katherine Arden's The Bear and the Nightingale, but it will transport readers to a place far beyond those fantastical worlds. It is a complex blend of adventure, magic, science, and philosophy that probes the mysteries of existence, filtered through a distinct Russian sensibility.