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Title details for Let the Dead Bury the Dead by Allison Epstein - Available

Let the Dead Bury the Dead

A Novel

by Allison Epstein
Katia Kapustin
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
An urgent, immersive alternate history set in an imperial Russia on the brink of disaster, following a surprising cast of characters seeking a better future as Saint Petersburg struggles in the wake of Napoleon’s failed invasion.
Saint Petersburg, 1812. Russian forces have defeated Napoleon at great cost, and the tsar's empire is once again at peace. Sasha, a captain in the imperial army, returns home to Grand Duke Felix, the disgraced second son of the tsar and his irrepressibly charming lover, but their reunion is quickly interrupted by the arrival of Sofia, a mysteriously persuasive figure whose disruptive presence Sasha suspects to be something more than human. Felix, insisting that Sasha's old-fashioned superstitions are misplaced, takes Sofia into his confidence—a connection that quickly becomes both personal and political. On her incendiary advice, Felix confronts his father about the brutal conditions of the common people in the aftermath of the war, to disastrous results, separating him from Sasha and setting him on a collision course with a vocal group of dissidents: the Koalitsiya. 
Meanwhile, the Koalitsiya plan to gridlock Saint Petersburg with a citywide strike in hopes of awakening the upper classes to the grim circumstances of the laboring people. Marya, a resourceful sometimes-thief and trusted lieutenant of the Koalitsiya, also falls under Sofia's spell and, allied with Felix and her fellow revolutionaries, she finds herself in the middle of a battle she could never have predicted. As Sofia’s influence grows and rising tensions threaten the tsar’s peace, Sasha, Felix, and Marya are forced to choose between the ideals they hold close and the people they love. 
Allison Epstein combines cleverly constructed plot with unforgettable characters in this exuberant historical page-turner, intercut with fractured retellings of traditional Eastern European folk stories that are equal parts deadly dark and slyly illuminating. Vividly written and emotionally intense, Let the Dead Bury the Dead reminds us that the concerns of the past aren't quite as far behind us as we like to believe.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 17, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593749012
      • File size: 350928 KB
      • Duration: 12:11:05

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 7, 2023
      Epstein (A Tip for the Hangman) imagines an alternate history of Russia in the aftermath of the War of 1812 in this solid exploration of family loyalty and political revolution. After the war, Capt. Sasha Dorokhin of Russia’s Imperial Army returns to Catherine Palace in Tsarkskoe Selo, where his lover, Grand Duke Felix—the younger son of Tsar Sergei—has been banished from Saint Petersburg for questioning his father’s politics and harassing the palace maids. When Sasha discovers an unconscious woman, Sofia Azarova, outside the palace and carries her inside to safety, her seemingly otherworldly control over natural event prompts him to request her removal—but Felix allows her to stay. Sofia’s influence at court grows, but when she convinces Felix that a series of riots demanding land and money for the people have merit, the tsar becomes enraged, forcing Felix to flee with her—and driving a wedge between Felix and Sasha, who chooses duty over love when Felix joins the fictional Koalitsiya rebellion. Sofia, meanwhile, ignites a showdown between the palace and the people that has devastating consequences. Epstein’s unique retelling is richly enhanced by Slavic folklore, and the confusion between duty to family or country is expertly portrayed. Historical fiction fans will be spellbound. Agent: Bridget Smith, JABberwocky Literary.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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