"The Book of Solitudes" by Max Fry and Lenore Goralik, summary

This 2004 work is composed of numerous personal dedications by Max Fry to individuals and a story by Linor Goralik. The fragmented structure of the text contains memoirs, philosophical parables, and mystical revelations addressed to specific real and fictional figures. The characters in the short vignettes include former neighbors from a communal apartment, school friends, random travelers, angels, and ancient Greek figures. Subjective experience here becomes a prism for understanding the isolation of the individual in society. The author’s voice constantly shifts between childhood traumas, youthful maximalism, and mature irony.

The book was published in the "Worlds of Max Fry" series. The text is a stand-alone work and therefore has no strict serial number. Other popular titles in the same series include "Stranger," "Volunteers of Eternity," and "Simple Magical Things."

The narrative opens with Max Fry’s reflections. The writer is convinced that writing a text about loneliness alone is technically impossible, but spiritually necessary. The boundaries of one’s self can only be felt in the presence of another person. Fry takes it upon himself to create a chain of dedications to the people without whom his personal isolation would not have been possible.

Linor Goralik is commissioned to write the final chord. A series of fragmented addresses follows. The author discusses ways to love others, recalling Larochka calling drunkenly one night and Oksana driving out the pigs in the village with a monotonous scream. Aunt Zhanna teaches the young hero to politely refuse unpalatable food, helping him reject fate’s ill-advised offers.

Separate chapters are devoted to neighbors in a communal apartment in the mid-1980s. Fry describes the Savchuk family — proper Soviet citizens who bitterly fought against their bohemian tenants. After a car accident that claimed the life of their daughter, Olenka, their hostility gives way to bitter sympathy and belated apologies. Another colorful inhabitant of the hallway is Lenya Korol.

Lenya was an aesthete and a poppy-based drug cook. He entertained young people, escaped the police with the help of his influential brother, and died painfully from a jaw injury. I also remember Dima, an alcoholic pensioner who ran around the apartment in pink underwear. There’s also talk about Baba Liza. This senile former actress played the piano at night and cooked enormous portions of food for invisible guests.

Growing up and school

Many passages describe childhood in a military camp and the city of O. The author recalls mushroom picking trips near Berlin with his father, who possessed the habits of a primitive hunter. Early fears are mentioned: the Moidodyr, the drain hole in the bathtub, and the fear of contracting old age. Vova Kryshin introduces the young hero to Darwin’s theory.

The idea of humans’ descent from apes helps the author come to terms with human flaws. His classmate Dolly reveals the existence of the Jewish people to the author. From this moment on, he develops a long-lasting affection for the Jews who supplied him with books. His school years are also marked by his friendship with the beautiful Verochka, who hastily married out of fear of nuclear war. His disillusionment with Pushkin stems from the poet’s death in a duel: in the young hero’s view, true heroes, like d’Artagnan, always win. Dusya’s childhood dream of working in a library prompts the author to recall his own disappointing experience with library corruption.

Youth and Strange Encounters

Adolescence brings existential turmoil. At thirteen, on her way home, the author experiences a bout of metaphysical terror, feeling the meaninglessness of existence. Later, she discusses this experience with her friend Lyuska over wine. University studies take place in the back rows. Students Galya and Natasha scribble romantic stories about actors there.

His friend Sashka torments his friends with threats of suicide due to unrequited love. In 1984, the author teaches at a rural school in the village of Tavatuya, thousands of kilometers from home. There, a girl named Natasha tells a cautionary tale about her drunken father. In 1987, together with an old friend, the hero buys up the immortal souls of acquaintances. In exchange, the young men receive port wine or the right to drink beer in the entryway.

His mature years are full of wanderings and absurdities. A trip to an exhibition in New York turns into a tasting of disgusting instant coffee with powdered cream. In Moscow, the author drinks wine with S.G. in August 1991. The two understand the need to live in the center of a personal cyclone, ignoring political storms. A trip on an empty train from Moscow to Odessa is memorable for a grotesque rural demonstration. The author dreams of a time machine so he can return to the 1970s and reassure his teenage self with the promise of a prosperous future.

Mystical encounters occur everywhere. The pagan god Yarilo appears as a red-haired driver of a burning truck on an overpass. On Moscow Demon Day, a laughing old man in a black coat with a plastic bag instead of a boutonniere is encountered. In a house airplane, Siberian shamans treat guests while a one-eyed old woman in a striped shirt rages below.

Philosophy and parables

Interspersed parables expand the narrative’s horizons. A stranger tells the story of an alchemist’s apprentice. The young man was given the gift of brewing an elixir of immortality from any ingredient. Out of habit, he mixed a foul-smelling poison from carrion, for which he was hacked to death by a mob. The Tibetan principle of passing tests is mentioned, as are Buddhist lamas criticizing Western scientists. The psychological "marmalade test" for children becomes a metaphor for the renunciation of momentary pleasure for the sake of a higher purpose.

Reflecting on culture, the author agrees with P.A. All human activities serve merely as a distraction from thoughts of death. The rights of "night owls" are declared. The author demands that government agencies and stores be closed at night. Dina and the author discuss the nature of ordinary people’s fears. People are terrified of the loss of comfort, which gives rise to xenophobia and cruelty.

The finale features a laconic text by Linor Goralik, "Achilles Speaks to the Tortoise." The ancient Greek hero Achilles addresses the Tortoise with a desperate plea. Exhausted by the endless pursuit, he begs his companion to stop. Achilles wants to catch his breath and be with her. He confesses that he is mortally afraid of overtaking the Tortoise. The disappearance of the distance will end the ordeal, and the soul will cease its work. Achilles asks for only a fleeting respite to ensure they have not passed each other. The Tortoise, coldly and irritably, interrupts his lofty monologue. She demands that he release her leg, complaining of physical pain. The Tortoise is completely oblivious to Achilles’ mental anguish.