"Get Lost!" by Nastasya Renzhina, summary Automatic translate

The novel "Get Out!" is a psychological thriller and folk horror novel by Russian writer Nastasya Renzhina, published in 2024 (a reprint was released in 2025). This book is the first in the STEKLO series, which tells the story of ordinary people caught in extreme psychological conditions. The most remarkable detail of this work is that the supernatural horror here arises not from mystical monsters, but from the destruction of the human psyche under the weight of isolation, guilt, and fear of the unknown. In 2025, the author received an award for this novel.

Escape from the past

The story begins with a young woman named Olga disappearing from town, leaving her one-year-old son, Stepashka, in the care of his mother and father, who is paralyzed after a stroke. The parents try unsuccessfully to learn about their daughter’s fate, driven mad by anxiety and helplessness.

Olga, along with a man named Igor, voluntarily retreats into the remote forest of the Vologda region. They settle in an old hunting lodge, hoping to escape society and their own problems. Igor, a man who worked as a courier and loader, met Valerik, a hunter, by chance in a gear store, which became the trigger for his retreat into the forest. For Olga, tired of her difficult life, this move became an attempt to escape. But in less than six months, this secluded place turned into a prison.

A terrible find

In winter, their monotonous daily routine is interrupted by a brief thaw. During the snowmelt, Olga, going to fetch water, discovers the naked corpse of an unknown man near the house. This discovery instantly shatters the fragile peace of the couple. They are unable to understand the corpse’s origin and begin to suspect each other of murder.

Gradually, the presence of the corpse begins to drive them mad. Olga’s fears intensify; at night, she imagines the dead man knocking on the windows, crawling on the floor, and trying to get inside. A soft "tok-tok-tok" sound haunts her in the darkness, evoking a primal terror and paralyzing her will.

Paranoia and destruction

Igor and Olga try to dispose of the corpse, dragging it away and burying it under a pine tree, but it’s no use. The corpse acts as a catalyst for them, uncovering all their internal traumas, fears, and repressed aggression. The relationship between the characters rapidly deteriorates, devolving into a cycle of mutual accusations and bouts of madness.

There’s no physical impact from the dead body — people destroy each other. Igor, suffering from paranoia and inner demons, eventually experiences excruciating agony. His organs fail, his insides seem to burn, and he dies in terrible agony.

The True Nature of a Dead Man

Closer to spring, when the river finally opens up and erodes the bank, the true reason for the corpse’s appearance is revealed. It turns out the hut stood next to an ancient burial mound — an ancient burial site where the bodies had been preserved for centuries by the northern permafrost. The river, gradually changing its course, eroded the bank and began pushing the ancient dead out.

The very first corpse Igor and Olga found during the winter thaw was merely the river’s "firstborn," accidentally pushed onto the path. In the spring, the water washes out a dozen more similar naked bodies and carries them downstream.

The finale

The story ends with the death of all participants in the forest retreat. Three corpses remain in the forest: one in a hunting lodge, wide-eyed and covered in vomit (Olga); the second lies in the middle of the yard (Igor, whose body is covered by the last snow); the third is safely buried under a pine tree. The river carries away the remaining ancient dead, leaving only its firstborn, whom Igor and Olga managed to hide.