Tiffany
asked
Julia Phillips:
I loved Disappearing Earth! Your writing is beautiful, and your character development is amazing. I was left wanting to know more about your characters. I recently finished reading Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking by von Bremzen, and parts of it made me think about your book- Russian life and Soviet nostalgia. Was wondering if you could recommend other books (fiction or non) about Russian life?
Julia Phillips
Tiffany, thank you so, so much for reading! I love this question. To me, the book that perfectly captures Soviet memories of contemporary Russians is Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich. Really, I don't think you could go wrong with any Alexievich book – she is a genius. The same blanket recommendation goes for Masha Gessen. And two recent books I've been really excited about are Between Two Fires by Joshua Yaffa and The Lost Pianos of Siberia by Sophy Roberts. Ahh! There is so much good work to read!
More Answered Questions
Scott
asked
Julia Phillips:
Julia, I sincerely enjoyed your story, Disappearing Earth. I love how you structured it. I felt like I was spying on each individual set of people, and it was fascinating how they all came together. The character descriptions were very helpful in the front. I found myself going back over and over to this and the map. Can you talk about your decision to structure the novel in this way?
Rebecca Richards-Diop
asked
Julia Phillips:
I just finished Disappearing Earth and found it both masterful and an immensely satisfying read! What an accomplishment! Thank you! I am curious… many of the women in the book consider making significant life changes but ultimately decide not to take the risk. Can you say more about what shaped that decision?
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