A kaleidoscopic collection.

This gritty insider’s take on Russia will prove more helpful than the welter of books by western experts when it comes to countering Putin’s disinformation blaming Nato 'aggression' for his woes. As Kostyuchenko makes clear, he has made his own mess..

Brilliant and immersive.

There is a defiant populism in Kostyuchenko’s reportage, which is focused largely on social and political unrest in Russia’s province.

Sharp-edged.

For English readers, the translation may appear uneven and choppy and occasionally ungrammatical, but the author’s stories are important. A deeply felt, fractured collection reveals a fractured, benumbed society..