"Laundry on the Line:
Modern Stories of Love" by Daria Dezombre, summary

This collection of short stories was published in 2015. Written in the genre of contemporary Russian prose, the book explores the theme of love through the lives of people from different eras. The authors depict complex human relationships, everyday difficulties, and joys. Readers encounter stories of fidelity, deception, chance encounters, and deep feelings. The characters live in pre-revolutionary Russia, Soviet Moscow, and modern megacities. They endure life’s trials, make mistakes, and seek ways to reconcile with themselves. The plot lines encompass realistic dramas and elements of light mysticism. The endings are often unpredictable. Each story adds new details to the overall picture of human passions.

Irina Muravyova - "The Winter of Our Separation"

The story is told from the perspective of a woman living in the United States in 2000. She recalls her grandmother Lisa’s stories about life in pre-revolutionary Russia. Lisa’s sister, Lida, leaves her husband, Nikolai, for her lover in Paris. Soon, Lida returns to Moscow to her husband and young son, Nikolka. Nikolai accepts his wife, but the relationship remains frosty. Lisa’s brother, Alexander, suffers from tuberculosis and adheres to Tolstoyan views on the war. Soon, the French courses are closed, and Lisa returns to Tambov.

World War I begins. Lida works in a hospital, becomes infected, and falls gravely ill. Liza comes to Moscow to care for her sister. In 1918, Lida dies of lobar pneumonia. Liza marries Konstantin Aseyev. Konstantin saves Liza’s family from Bolshevik repression. The story is filled with the tragedy of the era and personal dramas.

Maria Metlitskaya - "Associations, or a Woman’s Life"

The heroine reflects on human memory and the fleeting nature of life. She fantasizes about the fate of a nineteenth-century woman, drawing on an old cookbook by Elena Molokhovets. A young, inexperienced woman marries a widower. Her husband is older than her, a civil servant. At first, the heroine is bored in the large, dusty house on Prechistenka.

A cookbook given to her by her mother changes the situation. The girl enthusiastically takes up housekeeping. She develops a keen interest in cooking, canning, and gardening. She renovates, organizes her home, and prepares supplies for the winter. Life becomes meaningful. She gives birth to a daughter and a son. She falls secretly in love with a neighbor on the estate, but the romance never continues. As the years pass, her husband gambles away his money, falls gravely ill, and dies. Her son leaves abroad and disappears without a trace. The woman grows old and is left completely alone.

Olga Karpovich - “Hunting”

Twenty-six-year-old Evgenia Maltseva lives in a cramped Moscow apartment with her mother and grandmother. The women dream of marrying Zhenya off to a wealthy man. She meets Anton Spirichev online. Anton poses as a successful businessman and oligarch. On their first date at an expensive restaurant, Zhenya pretends to be a famous film actress.

The young couple go to a nightclub. Anton orders a large amount of expensive champagne. He causes a scene when his bank card is blocked. The brutal truth is revealed. Anton works as a simple manager at his father’s small factory. Evgenia confesses that she works at a run-down theater. This deception brings the young couple closer together. They fall in love and soon get married. The plump Australian rabbit Dolcia, given to them on their first date, becomes a full-fledged member of their new family. The couple spends their honeymoon at Anton’s father’s dacha.

Elena Nesterina – "Heavenly Electricity Shares"

The events unfold in a harsh, cold Moscow of the future. Illegal immigrants Volodya and Yulia are struggling to survive. Volodya is caught in a police raid and sent to a domestic service course for wealthy citizens. Yulia needs to find a hundred rubles to pay for her cell phone. She deceives a gullible Ukrainian man, Semyon. Yulia sells him advertising flyers purporting to be "promotions for heavenly electricity." She uses pieces of paper found near a trash can to deceive him. Volodya hopes to make a career and establish himself in high society.

The police arrest Semyon with false documents. Law enforcement pursues Yulia, but she hides in the basements. Meanwhile, Volodya serves as a servant to a wealthy woman, Louise Mardanovna. She entrusts him with posing as her daughter Juliet’s fiancé at a social event. Volodya receives generous gifts from her relatives. He decides to run away from his employers and abandon Yulia for a life of luxury.

Natalia Osis – "Lingerie on a Rope"

Ivan lives in Genoa, Italy. He works as a programmer and suffers from the constant rains and loneliness. He had previously left his British girlfriend, Meredith. One sunny day, Ivan notices a red-haired Italian woman, Maria, in the window across the street. She’s hanging brightly colored laundry on a line strung between their houses. Ivan soon learns that Maria’s brother is a soccer fan, and that Maria herself is full of energy and zest for life.

Ivan tries to attract his neighbor’s attention. He washes and hangs up his clothes, but fails miserably. He heads to the port in a depressed mood. He angrily kicks an empty soda can. The can flies right at the feet of Maria and her brother Giacomo. Maria speaks to Ivan in Russian. The young people chat happily and play soccer with the can together.

Maria Metlitskaya - "Voluntary Expulsion from Paradise"

Pavlik grows up in a family with very different parents. His father is a reserved and intelligent techie. His mother is emotional, fussy, and talkative. When Pavlik is eight, his father leaves him for his colleague, Inessa. His father’s new wife is strict and completely inept at cooking. Pavlik’s mother is having a hard time coping with the divorce. Laura and Pavlik’s young daughter, Mashenka, remains the only joy for her aging grandmother. Laura avoids household chores and leads a social life.

Pavlik grows up and marries a calculating girl, Lora. Inessa becomes seriously ill. Pavlik’s abandoned mother devotedly cares for her homewrecker until her death. Later, his mother marries a retired submariner and moves to Estonia. His father confesses to the adult Pavlik that he has always loved only his mother. He chose the calm Inessa for comfort. Pavlik yells at his father, blaming him for ruining their lives.

Daria Dezombre - "Lottery"

Ksenia, a chemistry teacher, lives in a communal apartment. She considers herself a loser and isn’t particularly attractive. By chance, she buys a lottery ticket and wins ten million dollars. A handsome man, Andrey, shows up at her apartment. He offers to help Ksenia spend her money wisely. Andrey acts as a strict mentor, forbidding Ksenia from buying tasteless things. Andrey takes Ksenia to Paris.

There, he pays for the services of cosmetologists, stylists, and dentists. Ksenia is transformed into an elegant lady. They go to Nice. Andrei arranges a meeting for Ksenia with Count Denis. Denis proposes to Ksenia. On the wedding day, the French police arrest the Count. It turns out Denis is an international marriage swindler. Ksenia loses part of the money, but calls Andrei. She returns to Russia to her beloved mentor.

Larisa Wright - "The Collector"

Actor Konstantin vacations in Crimea every year without his wife. He considers himself a brilliant seducer and collects novels. In Koktebel, he catches the eye of a Muscovite named Lyudmila. She seems unapproachable. She translates French novels and stays in an expensive hotel. Her thesis advisor will surely appreciate the material she’s collected. Konstantin uses his full arsenal of tricks.

He rescues a stray kitten, quotes Tsvetaeva’s poetry, and takes Lyudmila to the theater to see a Chekhov play. On the last day of their vacation, the actor fakes a marriage proposal. Lyudmila reciprocates. Konstantin puts her on a train and throws away her cell phone SIM card. It turns out that Lyudmila is a trained psychologist. She is writing a dissertation on holiday romances while conducting fieldwork, and has been deliberately playing the victim.

Tatyana Korsakova - "Butterfly"

Yegorov is hospitalized in a private clinic with a traumatic brain injury. He suffers from insomnia. One night, a bat flies into his room. The animal converses with Yegorov. He reads his secret poems to his guest. Yegorov’s poems, born of insomnia, are surprisingly sincere. The bat admits that it considers itself a butterfly. The next day, it takes offense and disappears.

Yegorov notices a young woman in a coma in the adjacent 13th room. The nurse says there’s no chance of recovery. The patient was a biology student and loved butterflies. Yegorov realizes the night visitor was the girl’s soul. Through a friend, he obtains fifty live tropical butterflies. Yegorov releases them into the room and kisses the girl. She comes to.

Ariadna Borisova - “The Snake Pillar”

The main characters, Maria and Chaim, arrive in a fishing village near Palanga. They have just been married in the town hall. The marriage is a sham. Maria agreed to the marriage to escape the persecution of a terrifying man nicknamed the Railwayman. She is terrified of men and behaves tensely.

The newlyweds rent a separate wooden house from local residents Johann and Constance. The hostess offers them fresh apples and homemade jam. Chaim behaves delicately and reservedly. That night, Maria dreams of Chaim treating her to an apple. During the day, they stroll along the seashore, collect pieces of amber, and eat okroshka (a traditional Russian alcoholic drink). They enjoy the natural views, the silence, and the delicious village food. Chaim’s patience gradually melts the ice in Maria’s heart.