by Fred Whishaw
First published 2018
In provincial Russia, a calculating mother devises an elaborate plan to marry her beautiful daughter to a wealthy but aging aristocrat. She manipulates social connections and exploits local gossip to secure this advantageous match. The story exposes the fierce competition among merchant families desperate to climb the social ladder. Meanwhile, in Saint Petersburg, landowner Alexei Ivanovich Velchaninov faces a legal battle over his property when an unexpected visitor arrives. Pavel Pavlovich Trusotsky, recently widowed, seeks out his old acquaintance. Velchaninov quickly realizes the true reason for this visit. He had carried on an affair with Trusotsky's late wife Natalia, and eight-year-old Liza is actually his biological daughter. When Velchaninov discovers that the alcoholic Trusotsky plans to raise the child, he takes action to protect her future. He arranges for Liza to live with a foster family, determined to save her from her legal father's destructive influence. Both tales reveal the complex web of relationships, secrets, and moral compromises that define human connections.
Genres: fiction, drama, romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, secret-child
Setting: Russia, Saint Petersburg
Period: 19th Century
254 pages · Paperback · Independently published