First published 2017
Alexey Ivanovitch works as a tutor in the home of a domineering Russian general. He wants to escape the rigid social hierarchy that confines him, but gambling offers a different kind of trap. Each bet pulls him deeper into compulsive behavior he cannot control. The general's niece Polina makes his situation worse. She manipulates him with calculated cruelty, yet he cannot resist her. Their toxic relationship feeds his addiction as much as the cards and roulette wheel do. Alexey finds himself caught between two destructive forces: his need to gamble and his obsession with a woman who uses his weakness against him. His attempts to break free from Russia's social constraints only lead him into personal chains he forged himself. The story follows his psychological unraveling as betting becomes the center of his existence.
Genres: fiction, drama, addiction, 20th-century, psychological-thriller, 19th-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, obsession, psychological-unraveling
Setting: Russia
Period: 19th-Century, 20th-Century
343 pages · Paperback · Independently published
Content warnings: addiction, mental-illness, toxic-relationship