Condemned as a Nihilist

On the last day of term, you packed at Shrewsbury after learning that your father would send you into the Russian branch of his firm early. I expected two more school years, football, and friends; knowing departure would come someday does not make this date mine. You step into this one-chapter preview with Katia at the center, where choices turn on the people, promises, and pressure already in the room. The next visit waited behind a door whose full meaning remained closed. The chapter closes on a continuation question rather than resolving the novel's larger arc.

Chapters

1. The Students' Warm RoomShrewsbury, London, and St Petersburg · 5 min

More Social Protest