"The Dislike of the Grey-Eyed King" by Asya Lavrinovich, summary Automatic translate

This book is a touching story about first love, friendship, and self-discovery in senior year, first published in 2020. It’s written in the personal diary of seventeen-year-old Dasha Sevastyanova. The schoolgirl chronicles her experiences, doubts, and secrets throughout the school year. The protagonist isn’t afraid to appear ridiculous or weak, honestly sharing her mistakes.

The film rights to the novel have already been purchased, and audiences will soon see their favorite characters on screen. The author herself won the Readers’ Choice literary award on the LiveLib book portal.

School days and old grievances

Dasha Sevastyanova is entering eleventh grade at an elite high school. She lives with her perpetually busy mother, Olga Olegovna, and deeply misses her father, who has left to work abroad. For many years, her kind housekeeper, Maria Arkhipovna, has been raising her. On the advice of a family psychologist, the schoolgirl begins keeping a personal journal. In her notebook, she confesses her passion for ship modeling and is building a British warship out of wood.

Since September 1st, Dasha has been confronting her longtime enemy, Robert Kaiser. In third grade, she gave him a handmade beaded heart, but he mocked her feelings in front of all her classmates. Since then, the teenagers have been constantly at odds. On the first day of school, Robert gives the chemistry teacher a huge bouquet of lilies, knowing Dasha is allergic to them. In retaliation, Dasha sends him to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in the wrong room.

Autumn intrigues and a deal

In the fall, a new student, red-haired Vita, arrives at the school. Meanwhile, Dasha begins to fall for her childhood friend, Philipp Guryev. The shy young man is the youngest son of Maria Arkhipovna, the housekeeper. The two teenagers skateboard along the embankment together, and Dasha hopes for a romantic connection. However, Philipp quickly becomes close to the new girl, Vita.

Soon, unpleasant rumors begin circulating around the school that Dasha has lice. Someone hacks Sevastyanova’s account and sends messages to the entire class. Dasha blames Robert. A little later, Kaiser and Dasha have an argument and accidentally end up locked in the lab room. During the argument, Dasha’s hair gets tangled in Robert’s shirt button. Their teacher, Nelly Nikolaevna, catches them in this awkward moment. Classmates begin gossiping about the teenagers’ secret affair.

To salvage her impeccable reputation, Dasha offers Robert an unexpected deal. They decide to pose as a loving couple in public. Dasha hopes their status as a couple will help them win the prestigious school elections for prom king and queen. Kaiser agrees to the gamble in exchange for Sevastyanova, an excellent student, doing his humanities homework for him. Vice Principal Evgenia Yakovlevna believes in their union and assigns the teenagers responsibility for organizing the fall prom. The two begin spending a lot of time together.

Winter testing

Joint preparations for events bring the fictitious couple closer. Gradually, their rigid agreement develops into mutual attraction. Dasha’s relationship with her mother deteriorates; she even throws away the wooden parts of her boat. When Dasha runs away from home on New Year’s Eve because her father doesn’t show up, Robert finds her in a dark alley. The teenagers celebrate the holiday together amidst a blaze of fireworks, and Robert treats Dasha to tangerines and warms her frozen hands.

In the spring, Dasha learns a difficult truth about her father. He has a new family abroad, and a son, Maxim, has been born. Robert becomes Dasha’s main support during this difficult period. She invites Kaiser over and then visits his huge apartment herself, where she meets his younger sister, Sophie, and his terrifying but kind bull terrier, Woody.

Spring finale

As final exams approach, the new girl Vita’s true colors are revealed. It turns out the red-haired student had been jealous of Dasha from the very first day. Vita stole Sevastyanova’s touching campaign speech and read it on stage. She also sent the famous message about lice in the fall. During a camping trip in May, Violetta decides to frame Robert. She rips her dress, runs out of the forest, and screams that Kaiser has sexually assaulted her. Philipp Guryev believes his girlfriend and punches Robert hard in the face. Kaiser refuses to defend himself to the enraged crowd and walks away.

Dasha has no doubt of Robert’s innocence. She follows him, then returns and confronts Vita. Dasha secretly records her classmate’s confession on her phone. Vita reveals that she hates rich students. She dreamed of winning the crown to earn the love of her cold, money-obsessed mother. She blamed Robert for Kaiser’s complete neglect of her all year. That morning, Dasha sends the audio recording to everyone in her class. Robert’s reputation is instantly restored, and Vita is sternly shunned. Philipp Guryev confesses to Dasha that his relationship with Vita was a farce and that he has always loved only Sevastyanova. Dasha rejects him.

A thunderstorm rumbles and a warm rain falls at the prom. Philip, as expected, receives the king’s crown. The head teacher declares Dasha the prom queen. Dasha asks her friend Karina to pick up the award and rushes out into the pouring rain to see Robert. In the rain, Kaiser confesses his deep love to Dasha. He admits he’s been in love with her since third grade, but was afraid of the boys’ ridicule. The teenagers share a long kiss in the summer downpour, forgetting about the prom and their wet clothes. Dasha makes peace with her mother, who apologizes for her cold attitude.

The events of the epilogue unfold ten years later. Dasha and Robert have been married for a long time. They are raising an active young son, Kirill. They are packing for an imminent move to Moscow, where Robert will head a chain of medical centers. While packing boxes, Dasha finds her old school diary. She rereads her youthful entries with a smile and tears. Dasha admits to herself that she is absolutely happy and looks to the future with confidence.