First published 2018
Alexander Karpenko stands at the Leningrad docks in 1968 with his mother, their lives hanging in the balance. The KGB has murdered his father for opposing the state, and now they must flee Russia or face death themselves. Two ships wait before them: one bound for America, another for Great Britain. Unable to choose, Alexander flips a coin and lets fate decide. That single toss creates two parallel lives spanning thirty years and two continents. In New York, he becomes Alex, building one destiny. In London, he transforms into Sasha, pursuing another path entirely. Both versions of the man face triumph and crushing defeat as they navigate their chosen worlds. Yet neither Alex nor Sasha can truly move forward until they confront the Russian past that Alexander left behind. Only by facing what they fled can either version find his true destiny.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, adventure, thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, parallel-lives, second-chance
Setting: Leningrad, America, Great Britain, New York, London
Period: 1968, 30 Years
448 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press