Pioneer Summer
A Novel
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
This star-crossed gay romance is a #1 bestselling TikTok sensation that took readers by storm, made international news, and catalyzed one of Russia’s largest-ever crackdowns on LGBTQ representation.
Cowritten by a Ukrainian–Russian duo, Pioneer Summer reached such heights of popularity that Putin stepped in to ban it. Now this swoony romance will transport American readers to another place and time and introduce them to one of the most memorable relationships of their lives.
The year is 1986, and Yurka Konev, 16, has been sent off for another summer at Pioneer Camp. Impulsive, forthright, and unfairly branded as a troublemaker, he anticipates the weeks ahead of him with boredom and dread.
But when he’s pushed into working on the camp’s theater production, he meets serious, thoughtful troop leader Volodya. Yurka finds himself drawn to the slightly older boy, and, surprisingly, Volodya seems to like him, too. The two boys grow closer and closer, and though both fear the consequences of their illegal attraction, its gravity pulls them together.
Now, 20 years later, Yury returns to the abandoned camp to reminisce on the relationship that changed his life forever—and discovers that not all history is destined to remain in the past.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A bestseller in Russia before it was banned by Putin, this tender gay love story from debut authors Malisova and Sylvanova explores illicit desire at a Soviet summer camp. In 1986, camper Yurka Konev, 16, meets camp counselor Volodya Davydov, 18. The encounter enlivens what Yurka, who is Jewish and hails from Ukraine, had thought would be a dull summer. At the camp, Yurka is mislabeled as a troublemaker, while Volodya is a buttoned-up Communist Party aspirant. As the two spend time giving guidance to the younger campers whom Volodya watches over, their friendship deepens. Yurka also notices his growing attraction to Volodya, and both teens are confused about their feelings for each other. They have scant reliable information about same-sex love and believe they must keep their relationship a secret at all costs. The narrative alternates with Yurka's return to the abandoned camp 20 years later, where he finds his buried time capsule and a surprising message from Volodya. As the story unfolds, it reinforces the message that there's nothing abnormal about gay desire, evoking the sweetness and innocence of young love as well as its emotional torments in ways that feel powerfully universal. It's a delightful tale of self-determination.
