First Love

At sixteen, Vladimir is spending the summer with his parents at their country dacha when a new family moves in next door—the Princess Zasyekin and her beautiful, unpredictable daughter, Zinaida. Captivated at once, Vladimir plunges into the dizzying, painful world of first love, only to discover that Zinaida’s affections are not his alone. His father, a cold and commanding man, begins to visit the neighboring house in secret, and Vladimir is forced to witness a passion far more dangerous than his own. Told with devastating honesty and tender nostalgia, First Love is a timeless story of youthful obsession, adult hypocrisy, and the moment we learn that love can wound as deeply as it heals. Part of Timeless Classics.