"Friendzone" by Asya Lavrinovich, summary Automatic translate

This book is a story about coming of age, first love, and complex teenage relationships. Created in 2024, the plot focuses on overcoming teenage cynicism and the fear of genuine feelings. The novel explores the cognitive dissonance (internal conflict) of the protagonist, who methodically denies her strong attachment to a childhood friend.

School conflicts and family dramas

The main character, eleventh-grader Inna Zyryantseva, hates school with a passion. She lives with her mother in an ordinary apartment on the fourth floor. Her father left the family ten years ago. Her mother has an extremely gentle nature. Inna is distinguished by her demonstrative cynicism. She deliberately scares off all of her mother’s new suitors.

On her first day of school, Inna gets into a heated argument with her geography teacher, Alla Nikolaevna. Valya Kunitsyna, an excellent student, gives Inna a stern reprimand. Inna throws a dirty chalk rag right in Valya’s face. The girl is expelled from class in disgrace.

A new student, Anton Korablyov, joins the class. Anton’s father is a deputy prosecutor. Inna’s friend, Marina Petrova, immediately falls in love with Anton. Marina has striking blue eyes. Inna is deeply suspicious of the newcomer, finding him overly self-assured and arrogant. Anton quickly becomes the life of the party. His classmates practically fight over who can copy his homework.

Art and Secret Jealousy

Inna’s childhood friend, student Sasha, begins dating an attractive girl named Lisa. Lisa is Sasha’s classmate at university. Sasha is deeply interested in culture, painting, and classical poetry. Inna is secretly jealous of Sasha. Lisa flatly refuses to acknowledge her romantic feelings.

Sasha often calls Inna on her home phone. The young people fool around. They try to guess each other’s fingers. Sasha claims he can hear Inna’s smile through the phone. He invites Inna to a contemporary art exhibition.

Inna feels extremely uncomfortable at the exhibition center. Lisa displays a pretentious air of arrogance. The long-legged beauty clings to her cell phone. Inna dismisses the incomprehensible painting of a violin as utter nonsense. Lisa hypocritically admires the canvas, claiming to clearly hear the violin’s sounds. Inna goes into the ancient art hall. She hides behind a tall, ancient statue, secretly stalking Anton Korablyov. Anton is strolling joyfully through the exhibition with an unfamiliar blonde woman. Inna decides he’s already cheating on Marina.

Countryside chores and autumn chill

Inna and Sasha are heading to their dacha together. The dacha is located exactly 100 kilometers from the city. This picturesque house once belonged to a famous academic. The spacious property then passed to Inna’s uncle. The uncle later moved to Canada. Now the dacha is owned by Inna and her mother. The house is famous for its old attic, where Inna likes to sleep in the summer.

It’s bitterly cold on the train platform in the morning. Sasha buys a regular ice cream cone. Inna loudly scolds her friend for being careless. At the dacha, the young couple paints the wrought-iron gate with some found black paint. They spend a long time clearing away the dry autumn leaves.

A brief moment of genuine intimacy erupts between the young people. The autumn frost chills them to the bone. Inna is freezing on the open veranda. Sasha brings a large plush blanket from home. He carefully covers his frozen friend with it. He hugs her tightly. Sasha delights in the melancholy of autumn. He reads somber poems about fading nature.

Later in the city, Inna sees Anton again near the supermarket. He gets into an expensive black SUV with the same blonde woman. Anton carefully helps his companion into the passenger seat. Inna is finally convinced of Anton’s infidelity. The woman decides to remain silent for now. She fearfully avoids other people’s problems. Inna ponders for a long time the reasons for people’s infidelities.

Meeting at an expensive restaurant

Inna receives an anonymous written invitation to the prestigious Pushkin restaurant. She secretly hopes to meet her mysterious admirer. She puts on her mother’s beautiful boots and a neat fox fur coat. Her father is waiting for her at the restaurant. The man is eager to mend their long-broken relationship.

The father honestly admits his own cowardice. He feared his daughter’s rejection. Inna is deeply offended by her father. She finally agrees to give her beloved father a second chance. She demands emotional compensation for the lost time. Inna insists on going to see the classical ballet "The Nutcracker" together.

In the restaurant lobby, Inna accidentally runs into Anton Korablyov. A heated verbal altercation ensues. Inna accidentally tears off Anton’s expensive European cufflinks. Anton becomes enraged. He drags the struggling Inna down a dark hallway. He locks Inna in a cramped stall in the men’s restroom.

Later, Anton makes extremely nasty comments about the girl’s elegant appearance. He rudely alludes to the presence of a wealthy older man near Inna. Inna feels as if Anton has called her a sellout. Bitter tears of resentment choke her.

Escalation of the conflict and the bitter truth

A girl complains to her cousin Kolya. Kolya is always ready to aggressively defend his sister. Kolya and his friend ambush Anton on the street. They brutally beat him. Anton is admitted to the city hospital with a broken collarbone. The escalation of the conflict (the rapid deterioration of the situation) leads to unexpected and dire consequences.

Soon, the hidden truth comes to light. The blonde girl in the black SUV turns out to be Anton’s twin sister. Inna realizes with horror that she’s made an irreparable mistake. Korablyov was simply spending his free time with his relative. He never cheated on Marina.

Marina learns of Inna’s vile act. The best friends have a heated argument. Marina demonstratively moves to a different desk at school. Inna is left completely alone. No one in the class wants to interact with her normally.

A step towards true feelings

Inna feels deeply guilty in front of everyone she knows. She gradually realizes her true, tender feelings for Sasha. Inna is tired of constantly hiding behind a protective mask of indifference and feigned cynicism.

For her eighteenth birthday, Inna goes to the dacha. Her mother, Marina, Olya, and her mother’s friend Katya are with her. The girls drive over bumps in Katya’s spacious new car. The friends loudly sing old hits from the nineties. They grill delicious meat on the veranda. Olya confesses her attraction to a lanky classmate, Vorobyov. The girls carefully try to rebuild their lost trust.

Inna’s mother gives her a small live dog. Inna had dreamed of a loyal puppy since early childhood. The pet has a beautiful sandy color. Marina gives Inna a gift disc of her favorite movie, "Life is Beautiful." This touching gesture signifies a timid, friendly reconciliation.

Late at night, Inna calls Sasha on her cell phone. She’s crying uncontrollably. She sincerely apologizes for her nasty and prickly nature. Inna loudly quotes Boris Pasternak’s touching lines, tenderly dedicated to Marina Tsvetaeva: "I love you so much that even I’m careless and indifferent…" Sasha is silent for a long time on the other end of the line. He smiles happily and warmly in the darkness of the night.