by A. D. Miller
First published 2012
The writer sits at his desk, unable to produce anything hopeful for his overdue novel. His wife has left him, and all he can manage are scattered observations about other people's joy. He wanders through Moscow, drawn into the lives of his neighbors. He brings together isolated residents who have been living alone. He helps restore romantic relationships that seemed permanently broken. He joins building renovation projects that transform the physical spaces around him. The writer discovers that creating happiness for others becomes more compelling than finishing his book. As he connects the lonely people in his orbit, something unexpected happens. The very happiness he has been documenting and fostering in others begins to find its way back to him.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, contemporary, russian-literature
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Moscow, Russia
Period: 21st-century
346 pages · Kindle Edition · And Other Stories