Little Foxes Took Up Matches
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

Transitions and growing pains are the themes in this debut novel from Russian American Kazbek. The young protagonist, Mitya, swallows his grandmother's sewing needle, survives, and moves forward certain of its magical protection. His story embraces the shift from the USSR to modern-day Russia, childhood to adulthood, and male to female (or something else entirely). Each transition carries the threat of danger, be it violence in a place where death is commonplace or the fear of disappointing one's family on the way to self discovery, but on the other side is something completely new and hopeful, even full of love. Kazbek's characters escape into books, drinking, and the meaning of songs, while the chapters are interspersed with a Russian fairy tale, "Koschei the Deathless," which brings a bit of the fantastical to Mitya's otherwise troublesome reality. Readers may find connections to the tales of Ludmila Ulitskaya and Oksana, Behave! (2019) by Maria Kuznetsova as Mitya learns to discern who to trust on the way to trusting himself.

Kazbek debuts with a lovely bildungsroman set during and after the downfall of the U.S.S.R. Mitya Noskov, born in 1986, grows up with his pedestrian parents and crafty grandmother, the latter keeping a stash of candy, caviar, and liquor for bribing various officials. At two, Mitya swallows his grandmother's sewing needle, a situation similar to a classic Russian folktale, Koschei the Deathless, who hid a so-called "death needle" to obtain immortality. As Mitya's life unfolds, a parallel fantasy about Koschei is interspersed as both characters navigate their own versions of heaven and hell. At five, Mitya secretly puts on his grandmother's makeup, and as he grows up, he continues to buck the strict gender conventions of 1990s Moscow. A few years later, a cousin, Vovka, comes to live with them and sexually abuses Mitya. As a young man, Mitya befriends Valerka, a homeless man who doesn't bat an eye at seeing Mitya dressed as a woman. When Valerka disappears, Mitya sets out to discover what happened, venturing into the world of street people, where he's accepted for the first time by peers. Kazbek's clever juxtaposition of Koschei's tale with Mitya's amid the upheaval in Moscow makes this an ingenious coming-of-age story where a queer boy finds comfort and hope. Readers will be enchanted. Agent: Jin Auh, Wiley Agency. (Apr.)

Kazbek's debut is a beautiful tale set during the fall of the Soviet Union. When two-year-old Mitya swallows his grandmother's sewing needle, his family assumes he will die, but survives, and carries it with him as an internal compass as he navigates life. With his country falling apart and struggling to make an identity, Mitya questions whether he is a boy or girl. Suffering abuse from his cousin, Mitya travels around Moscow to learn about himself. Kazbek intertwines Mitya's journey for self-discovery with a well-known traditional Russian fairy tale. As history unfolds, readers are introduced to the foundational lore, adding a cultural depth to this novel. Narrator Jefferson Mays conveys the magical realism of Mitya's world. VERDICT This literary fairy tale retelling will resonate with readers who have gone on similar voyages of self-discovery and will appeal to those looking for a magical and surreal listen.--Elyssa Everling

Folklore enlivens a queer coming-of-age story set in 1990s Russia. Mitya is born in the Soviet Union, but by the time he's 5, the USSR is dissolved and the adults in his life--his parents, Yelena and Dmitriy, his grandmother Alyssa, and his cousin Vovka, a Chechen War veteran--see their lives and livelihoods change with the nation. Likewise, Mitya's understanding of himself and the world transforms as he enters adolescence. The defining moment of Mitya's infancy is one of potential catastrophe: While babysitting, Alyssa accidentally drops an embroidery needle on the rug. She, along with the rest of the family, becomes convinced that Mitya has swallowed it and that the ingested needle will eventually kill him. Mitya survives, however, and comes to see the needle as a link to Koschei the Deathless, a gender-nonconforming character from Russian fairy tales who achieves immortality by hiding "the needle that is his death" where no one can find it. Kazbek deftly intertwines tales of Koschei's exploits in heaven and hell with Mitya's misadventures around Moscow as the preteen navigates a first crush and considers whether he wants to be a girl, a boy, both, or neither. The novel's subject matter is weighty--Mitya survives sexual abuse, experiences transphobic violence, and struggles to come to terms with systemic inequality and corruption while seeking justice for a murdered homeless man--but Kazbek's incisive prose and Mitya's enduring compassion keep this debut novel from feeling maudlin or exploitative. A rich and moving look at a child in the midst of self-discovery. As dark as a Brothers Grimm fairy tale--and as magical. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Transitions and growing pains are the themes in this debut novel from Russian American Kazbek. The young protagonist, Mitya, swallows his grandmother's sewing needle, survives, and moves forward certain of its magical protection. His story embraces the shift from the USSR to modern-day Russia, childhood to adulthood, and male to female (or something else entirely). Each transition carries the threat of danger, be it violence in a place where death is commonplace or the fear of disappointing one's family on the way to self discovery, but on the other side is something completely new and hopeful, even full of love. Kazbek's characters escape into books, drinking, and the meaning of songs, while the chapters are interspersed with a Russian fairy tale, Koschei the Deathless, which brings a bit of the fantastical to Mitya's otherwise troublesome reality. Readers may find connections to the tales of Ludmila Ulitskaya and Oksana, Behave! (2019) by Maria Kuznetsova as Mitya learns to discern who to trust on the way to trusting himself. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.

Growing up in a post-Soviet Russia startled by its past and uncertain of its future, Mitya himself is confused about his sexual identity and travels the Moscow underground to find out where he really belongs. His journey is wound 'round by the durable Russian fairytale featuring archetypal ogre Koschei the Deathless. Lots of in-house excitement for this work from Russian-born Kazbek, who writes on fashion, world culture, and queer, feminist, and migrant issues.

Kazbek debuts with a lovely bildungsroman set during and after the downfall of the U.S.S.R. Mitya Noskov, born in 1986, grows up with his pedestrian parents and crafty grandmother, the latter keeping a stash of candy, caviar, and liquor for bribing various officials. At two, Mitya swallows his grandmother's sewing needle, a situation similar to a classic Russian folktale, Koschei the Deathless, who hid a so-called "death needle" to obtain immortality. As Mitya's life unfolds, a parallel fantasy about Koschei is interspersed as both characters navigate their own versions of heaven and hell. At five, Mitya secretly puts on his grandmother's makeup, and as he grows up, he continues to buck the strict gender conventions of 1990s Moscow. A few years later, a cousin, Vovka, comes to live with them and sexually abuses Mitya. As a young man, Mitya befriends Valerka, a homeless man who doesn't bat an eye at seeing Mitya dressed as a woman. When Valerka disappears, Mitya sets out to discover what happened, venturing into the world of street people, where he's accepted for the first time by peers. Kazbek's clever juxtaposition of Koschei's tale with Mitya's amid the upheaval in Moscow makes this an ingenious coming-of-age story where a queer boy finds comfort and hope. Readers will be enchanted. Agent: Jin Auh, Wiley Agency. (Apr.)