“Abeautiful,mournfulnovelaboutfaithgravelytemperedbygriefandthebrutalironofmodernitybringingthegreatestoflosses.Zhorov’svoiceisfreshandappealing.“--JoyWilliams,authorofTheVisitingPrivilegeandHarrowArich,immersivedebutnovel,inspiredbytrueevents,aboutameetingbetweentwowomenin1970sSovietRussia--adeeplyreligioushomesteaderlivinginisolationwithherfamilyontheSiberiantaigaandanambitiousscientist--thatirrevocablyaltersthecourseofbothoftheirlives.Galina,apromisingyounggeologistfromMoscow,isfallinginlovewithherpilot,SnowCrane,onanexpeditionformineralsinSiberia.Astheirhelicopterhoversoverwhatshouldbeastretchofuninhabitedforest,theyseeasmallhutandagarden--and,thefollowingday,whentheyhikefromtheirfieldcamptothehut,theyfindafamily.AgafiawasborninSiberiaintoafamilyofOldBelievers,asmallsectofChristianswhorejectedthereformsthatshapedthemodernRussianOrthodoxchurch.Herparents,fleeingreligiouspersecutionfourdecadesearlier,journeyeddeepintothesnowywilderness,eventuallybuildingahomefarawayfromthedangerousandsinfulworld.GalinaandSnowCranearethefirstpeopleshehasevermetoutsideofherimmediatehousehold.Asthetwowomendevelopafriendship,eachbecomesconflictedaboutfuturesthatonceseemedcertainandfindthemselvesstrainingagainsttheirpast:Galinacan’tshaketheconfinesofherSovietupbringing,andAgafia’sfocusdriftsfromherfaithtothebeautyoftherelentlesslyharshtaiga.Underneathitall,GalinabeginstoseehowherworkopeningminesthreatensbothAgafiaandherhome,andmirrorstheexploitationofthenaturalworldhappeningacrosstheSovietUnion.Avividandilluminatingnovelaboutfaith,fate,andfreedomagainstthebackdropof1970sSovietlife,LostBelieversisanunforgettablejourney.
