A summary of "The Riddle Woman" by Maria Metlitskaya Automatic translate

This book is a collection of short stories published in 2018. The text focuses on the everyday human dramas hidden behind the façade of well-being.

This work is published in the "Behind Other People’s Windows" series. This series also includes "Mother-in-Law’s Diary" and "And the Eternal Smell of Apples." The publisher does not strictly regulate the serial number of this collection.

The Riddle Woman

The narrator hires a quiet housekeeper, Veronica. The new employee works completely unnoticed. The narrator’s daughter discovers expensive Italian brands on the cleaner’s unremarkable clothes. Soon, the cleaner falls ill with severe pneumonia. The employer visits her in her poor rented apartment. The patient’s dramatic past is revealed. Veronica was married to a wealthy man. Later, she fell in love with a young dancer. The husband threw the unfaithful wife out of the house. The woman lost her property and the right to raise her son. Now she cleans other people’s floors, but calls herself happy. The narrator is uncomfortable with this secret. She hires an ordinary, loud woman. The employer prefers complete predictability.

Indian summer

Stefa interrupts her New York vacation with her friend Anya. Her grandson, Tema, breaks his leg. Stefa’s life in Moscow is filled with caring for her infantile daughter, Inna. Her son-in-law and perpetually dissatisfied husband, Arkady, also demand attention. On the flight home, Stefa meets Leonid. Before the New Year holidays, Leonid calls his new acquaintance. A whirlwind romance blossoms between them. The lovers secretly travel to Suzdal for a few days. In the fall, Leonid announces his wife’s serious illness. His family hastily emigrates to America for treatment. Stefa refuses to follow, claiming she is his mistress. Stefa returns to her usual household duties.

Madam and all the rest

Kira is packing for her ex-mother-in-law’s funeral. In her youth, she was married to Madam’s son, Mitya. When the student became pregnant, her mother-in-law forced her to have an abortion. Madam categorically claimed Mitya’s father had hereditary schizophrenia. Her mother-in-law bluntly said, "Get an abortion." After the abortion, the marriage fell apart. Mitya moved to America. There, he fathered four healthy children. At her ex-husband’s request, Kira regularly brought money to the lonely Madam. While sorting through the deceased’s documents, she finds an old medical record. Mitya’s father died of a stomach ulcer. There were no psychiatric diagnoses. The mother-in-law cynically lied to destroy the marriage. Kira silently bids farewell to the deceiver.

Under the blue sky

Zharov accompanies his wife, Rita, to Jerusalem. The couple is staying with longtime friends, Boris and Natasha. Rita suffers agonizingly from infertility. She methodically visits holy sites and prays for a miracle. Zharov endures his wife’s obsession. The man reminisces about their long marriage. He analyzes his past infidelities and Rita’s devotion during the crime-ridden 1990s. At night, Zharov goes out onto the apartment balcony. He sincerely prays for his wife’s health. The return flight is beset by turbulence. On the plane, Rita takes her husband’s hand. She asks him to postpone the construction of their country bathhouse for at least a year. Zharov happily understands the true reason for this request.

Back to square one

Nana works as a companion for the despotic old woman, Teresa. The girl fled Tbilisi from the fanatical artist Irakli. Life in Moscow boils down to humiliating servitude to a capricious mistress. Teresa constantly manipulates the future inheritance. She promises Nana an antique four-carat ring. The old woman suddenly dies. Her nephew, Boris, gives Nana the promised jewel. A jeweler on Arbat Street reveals the bitter truth: the expensive stone turns out to be a cheap glass imitation. Instead of disappointment, the deceived Nana feels immense relief. She immediately buys a ticket to Georgia. The girl returns to Irakli’s workshop. She brings fresh food and finds peace of mind.

Liar

Lida Vistunova was a pathological liar from her school days. She made up stories about her father being a spy. In reality, the man worked as a simple plumber. Years later, the narrator meets Lida near a provincial monastery. The former classmate looks utterly exhausted. She shares a tragic story. Her daughter allegedly committed suicide. Her son is being treated for drug addiction within the monastery. The narrator sincerely sympathizes with the unfortunate mother. A local resident quickly refutes this sorrowful confession. Lida never had children. A young lover is hiding from her in the monastery. The young man’s wealthy parents are trying to save their son from the destructive influence of the obsessed woman.

Random circumstances

Successful American businesswoman Elya Brody arrives in Moscow. Her young co-worker, Kirill, drives her around. Elya reminisces about her youth. She came from the provinces to enroll in drama school. The student fell in love with fellow student Edik Lavertov. Elya became pregnant. Her best friend, Natasha, persuaded her to abort the fetus. Soon, Natasha herself became Edik’s legal wife. Elya dropped out of school. She survived failed romances and left for the United States with businessman James. In a Moscow hotel, Elya carefully reads Kirill’s business card. The young man turns out to be Natasha and Edik’s biological son. At first, Elya seeks cruel revenge through the young man. Then she cancels work meetings. Elya flies back to New York early, leaving the past behind.

Time for happiness

Student Marina travels south with her married lover, Andrey. At the resort, she contracts chickenpox. The infection completely ruins their romantic relationship. Andrey constantly makes caustic jokes. The couple quickly breaks up. Returning to the capital, Marina marries a fellow traveler, Denis, whose mother committed suicide. The young couple have a daughter, Yulia. In the 1990s, Denis becomes a wealthy businessman. He frequently cheats on his wife and drinks heavily. Then he loses his business due to large debts. The ruined husband leaves her for another woman who owns the apartment.

Marina’s mother, Lyudmila Petrovna, marries a wealthy widower, Valery Grigorievich. Her stepfather supports Marina in every way possible and raises little Yulia. Marina herself falls passionately in love with her new boss, Svetlovetsky. He is grieving over his previous divorce and avoids serious commitment. Their secret affair lasts a year and a half. Svetlovetsky is hospitalized with a flare-up of his ulcer. Insulted, the boss’s mother forbids Marina from visiting. Soon, Svetlovetsky becomes seriously involved with the attending physician, Galina. Abandoned, Marina is left alone. In 2000, her kind stepfather dies. Her daughter, Yulia, grieves the loss and clashes with her mother.

Meanwhile, Andrei emigrates to the United States. He works as a taxi driver in a disadvantaged neighborhood. Physical labor saves him from deep depression. The former screenwriter returns to writing. He lives with a woman from Kostroma, but their relationship remains distant and frosty. The woman soon leaves him for a construction worker. Andrei arrives in Moscow and meets his old friend Churilin, who helps him publish his screenplays.

Fifteen years later, Marina finds stability in her life. She marries a retired colonel, Viktor. Her husband is extremely reliable and unflappable. Andrey’s life is also gradually improving. He becomes a sought-after and successful screenwriter. He marries a young, promising actress, Mila. The former lovers accidentally end up at the same train station in the capital. Andrey buys beautiful flowers for Mila. Marina hurries to meet Viktor. They pass very close in the dense crowd outside the station. A man in a gray suit lightly brushes against an elderly woman. They completely fail to recognize each other. Each of them has long since found their long-awaited personal happiness.