"The Newcomer" by Narine Abgaryan, summary

This autobiographical novella was written in 2011. This book is an honest chronicle of a young provincial woman’s adjustment to a foreign metropolis in the 1990s. The events are conveyed through the lens of sincere humor, everyday troubles, and colorful characters of a transitional historical period.

Arrival in the capital and first steps

In December 1994, a twenty-three-year-old philology graduate from blockaded Armenia travels to Moscow to pursue a second degree. Left without a stable income after brief stints as a nanny and in a cold kiosk, she attends an interview at the Golden Age Bank on the advice of a classmate.

The interview is conducted by the straightforward and sharp-tongued boss, O.F. After assessing her basic math skills and knowledge of English, she hires her as a cashier. The job location is the currency exchange office at the Intourist Hotel in Moscow.

Weekdays at the Intourist Hotel

Initially, the exchange office is located in a tiny glass-enclosed pavilion, previously used for selling lighters. The space has to be ventilated by sliding a plywood sheet across the ceiling. The team of cashiers encounters eccentric patrons, Chechen crime bosses, currency prostitutes led by the lame pimp Vera, and strict security.

During an armed robbery at the pavilion, Ponakhavshaya displays composure: she hides the security bag under her jacket and calmly exits the premises, saving the bank’s funds. The robber manages to wound the head of security, Sergei Vladimirovich, nicknamed Drovosek, in the leg. The investigation later reaches a dead end, as witnesses offer eight mutually exclusive profiles of the perpetrator.

After some time, the dilapidated glass pavilion is replaced with a massive armored iron container. It is moved closer to the central entrance, where new comic and dramatic scenes of hotel life unfold before the cashiers’ eyes.

Living in a rented apartment and surroundings

The heroine rents a room on Kirovograd Street from seventy-three-year-old Polina Mikhailovna. Aunt Polya showers the girl with maternal care, feeding her porridge and trying to rid her of her Caucasian accent. Polina herself has a turbulent personal life: she is courted by a Kuban meat merchant, Maxim Petrovich, an elderly accordion player, Ilya Sergeyevich, and a tight-fisted admirer, Gennady Vasilyevich.

The only thing that mars their relationship is the landlady’s fanatical friend, former nun Valentina Ivanovna. She constantly reproaches Aunt Polya for the sinfulness of her worldly attachments and demands that she evict her tenant. However, the landlady invariably defends her tenant.

Work collective and absurd situations

A series of colorful employees rotate through the exchange office. The timid Natalya gets caught up in complicated love triangles and begins a short-lived affair with the heroine’s relative, Vagharshak. The troubled Lyuda constantly finds herself in awkward situations: accidentally feeding her mother-in-law Serafima Petrovna depilatory cream and engaging in endless arguments with counterfeiters.

Righteous Olga irritates her boss with her excessive kindness, accepting worn-out banknotes from foreigners that are unusable for exchange. Her temporary partner, Igor, a stern man with a difficult personality who has served time, terrorizes the entire staff with his loud snoring and chanson songs, before suddenly leaving for the shuttle trade.

Boss O. F. demonstrates absolute loyalty to her subordinates. She rescues the girls from the management’s harassment, brazenly clashes with the head of the currency department, Inna Denisovna, and has an affair with Professor Zyablikoff, shocking his prim mother.

Crises and trials

The economic collapse of 1998 brought new disasters. Lyuda’s mother-in-law lost a huge sum from the sale of rooms on Kuznetsky Most Street in a bankrupt bank and completely lost her mind. Lyuda herself fell victim to the hypnotic deception of fake collectors and suffered a shortfall of $2,400. The team came to their colleague’s rescue: Lyuda borrowed the money and worked off the debt with shuttle trips to Turkey.

Despite the occasional drinking bouts, stress, and sleepless nights, the cashiers maintain a strong bond. O.F.’s anniversary turns into a communal all-night drinking session right at the workplace, where alcohol is mixed in a donated three-liter pot, but the morning cash register balance balances without a single kopeck discrepancy.

Personal changes and separation

Gradually, the coworkers’ fates diverge. Colleague Lena reconciles with her reformed husband and gives birth to twins. Marina, from Abkhazia, finds stability after years of wandering with her young son. The boss’s son, Pavlik, marries Olesya and becomes a father.

Ponakhavshaya begins a serious relationship with a young man. Together, they decide to rent a separate, empty apartment. The hasty move is prompted by an ultimatum from Aunt Polya’s stepsister, who is jealous of the older woman’s relationship with another woman.

Polina Mikhailovna shares her long-standing tragedy with her tenant: hard labor at the post-war AZLK plant construction site, a forced illegal abortion, and childlessness. As they say goodbye, the elderly woman calls the heroine at her new place, offers her sincere blessing, and invites her to return at any time if her family life doesn’t work out. The newcomer realizes that the harsh city has finally accepted her thanks to the kindness of the people she meets.