“It’s all because of you” Asya Lavrinovich, summary Automatic translate

Asya Lavrinovich’s novel "All Because of You" was published in 2023 by Like Book, a member of the Eksmo Group. It’s the story of Masha Raeva, whose summer at her grandmother’s dacha is simultaneously connected to the memory of an old grudge, a new romance, and the return of a man she tried not to think about. From the very first pages, the text returns to the old barn at the dacha, where a kiss once took place, leaving Masha with feelings of awkwardness and anger. Her grandmother’s house stands among new, luxurious cottages, the garden has been neglected since her grandfather’s death, and the dacha itself remains a place of memory for the family, despite repeated attempts to buy the plot.

Masha comes there in the summer to help her grandmother, although she dislikes the dacha precisely because of her long-standing relationship with her neighbor, Jovan Garbić. Her family circle immediately becomes apparent in her daily life: she is very warm to her father and grandmother, reacts painfully to her mother’s coldness and posturing, and gravitates toward people with whom she can avoid playing a role.

Against this backdrop, Masha begins an affair with Lenya, a young writer who initially comes across as intelligent, unusual, and mature. He speaks beautifully, writes prolifically, and knows how to attract attention, and Masha is flattered by the presence of someone with such an aura of mystery. Even her grandmother is immediately wary of him, almost jokingly calling writers otherworldly, but Masha initially dismisses this.

The summer rhythm seems quite peaceful: the dacha, the lake, walks, the occasional trip to the city, conversations with friends Lika and Slava, household chores, and attempts to tidy up the property. Amid these ordinary days, Jovan suddenly appears, the same neighbor who had kept Masha from remembering anything unnecessary for so many years. He’s grown up, his appearance has changed, he’s become more confident, but his sharp manner of speaking and teasing Masha hasn’t disappeared.

Their first encounters feel almost like an old argument that hasn’t been fully resolved. Masha perceives Jovan as arrogant and unpleasant, Jovan responds with barbs, and the old tension quickly resurfaces between their exchanges. Yet, for some reason, Masha feels more reactive around him than around Lenya, whose politeness increasingly seems premeditated.

Gradually, it’s the everyday life of the dacha that brings Masha and Jovan closer. They bump into each other near the house and on the beach, argue, tease each other, reminisce about their childhoods, and beneath their outward harshness, a mutual attentiveness they’ve long hidden becomes apparent. Masha notices that Jovan watches her without pretense, sees her confusion and anger, and he no longer resembles the boy who once simply decided to toy with someone else’s feelings.

At the same time, the romance with Lenya begins to unravel. His lateness, strange disappearances, mood swings, and desire to control Masha transform the courtship into a heavy pressure, and anxiety replaces ease. The publisher’s description of the book explicitly states that the plot touches on themes of stalking and painful relationships, and in Lenya’s story, this becomes part of the action, not an incidental detail.

As time goes on, Masha sees more and more clearly that Lenya doesn’t hear the word "no" and perceives other people’s boundaries as a hindrance. Meeting him begins to frighten her, his gestures no longer seem romantic, and his attempts to maintain contact out of politeness only complicate matters further. Masha tries to figure out what’s going on with him herself, and even searches for Lenya’s sister, because she understands he has serious problems, and a simple breakup is no longer the end of the story.

At this stage, the role of friends and family is especially noticeable. Lika and Slava initially joke, argue, and behave like boisterous students, but in times of danger they are there, and Masha’s grandmother and father remain the people around whom she can take a breath. Jovan also ceases to be a figure of old resentment and becomes a person who doesn’t turn away when Masha is truly afraid.

Meanwhile, Jovan has his own complicated relationship with Arina, and for a long time, Masha can’t figure out how free he is and how much she can trust him. Their rapprochement comes in fits and starts: sometimes through jealousy and reticence, sometimes through sudden, frank conversations, sometimes through an almost childlike tenderness that breaks through their mutual stubbornness. The more the situation with Lenya escalates, the more it becomes clear that Masha’s connection with Jovan isn’t based on fine words, but on genuine concern and an honest presence.

The climactic scenes are no longer about choosing between two guys, but about whether Masha can break free from the painful relationship imposed on her and stop justifying other people’s abnormal behavior. She no longer confuses persistence with love and stops clinging to the image of Lenya as an "interesting" person who can be forgiven for many things. In scenes of tense city traffic, arguments, chases, and difficult conversations, the heroine experiences fear, anger, and shame, and then finally begins to speak out.

After this, Masha and Jovan find themselves together, no longer playing the same game of teasing. The final chapters return the action to the dacha, where it all began, and there the characters’ personal history finally receives a clear answer. Masha gives Jovan a homemade wire ring she saved from childhood for her "prince," and he admits that he came to the dacha specifically because of her.

The final pages soften the tension and reconnect Masha’s love with her grandparents’ house. In dreams and memories, the dacha remains the same: with floral wallpaper, an apple tree, currant bushes, mint by the fence, a hammock, and an old barn bearing the inscription "Masha + Vanya = love." The novel ends not with abstract reasoning, but with a sense of light found after a long period of fear, when Masha’s feelings for Jovan are no longer torment but a calm and clear intimacy.