Give Me: (Songs for Lovers)

By Irina Denejkina and Irina Denezhkina

Book Overview

Shortlisted for Russia's national bestseller prize and translated into twelve languages, Give Me marks the debut of a literary wunderkind, a gifted writer with a fine-tuned ear and unforgettable voice. The stories in Give Me are bracingly authentic and deeply felt -- vibrant snapshots colored by vodka, drugs, and young love that capture life at a certain age in a specific part of the world while reflecting the universal emotions of a generation. Too young to identify with life in the Soviet era, the frank, funny, appealingly tough characters in Give Me are forced to find their identities in the chaotic atmosphere of a country recovering from systemic collapse. They reach out to each other in ways that are sometimes affectionate, sometimes cruel, and always desperate for connection.

A young soldier on leave from the Chechen war laments the meaninglessness of civilian life -- "all that goddamned self-expression" -- while his girlfriend ponders the elegant arch of her best friend's eyebrows; a teacher at a summer camp is appalled, disgusted, and frightened by her out-of-control charges and the retribution she could suffer at the hands of their powerful parents; love and loyalty become entangled as a young woman sleeps with friends of her unattainable object of desire to feel closer to him; a suicidal teenager finds salvation in the unlikely duo of a beefy security guard and his Rottweiler; the object of a university student's crush unknowingly pushes her buttons from afar when he neglects to return her anonymous love notes; and Death visits an Internet chat room after politely accepting the offer of a cup of tea.

Full of electricity, humor, controversy, and above all, humanity, these pitch-perfect stories put to use the possibilities of language and perception to give a glimpse of Russia's youth and their struggle to grow up, find their way, and, ultimately, love.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743254643
• ISBN13: 9780743254649
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Good read--recommended

I highly recommend this book. Written by Irina Denezhkina, who was only 21 at the time of publication, she orginally published her short stories on the internet where they were noticed and later published as a volume. It has been translated into 12 languages and is a Russian national bestseller. Denezhkina writes authentically and first-hand about vodka, drugs, young love and pubescent sex in post-Soviet Russia. Written on the surface of life's happenings and very sparse on commentary, there is a hardness and detachment in her voice that lacks the whiny angst of many, young, American writers. That's okay with me, because although I enjoy narrative reflection, very young writers sometimes make the mistake of imposing their opinions at the detriment of telling an authentic story.

The Russian Trainspotting.

This book is an excellent look into the lives of Russian youth post Soviet life and how the new generation lives with its newfound freedoms and materialisms; its much like Trainspotting without the intense amounts of drug use and slang (but there is still plenty of it.) Contrary to the previous poster, I thought that there was plenty of character development, but considering that these are just short stories, and that some of the characters are just hedonistic, air-headed teenagers, I don't think that too much development was need. I too look forward to what Ms Denezhkina has to put out in the future. She seems very promising. Definately read if one is interested about life in Russia, particulary for its youth too young to remember Communism.

GOOD BOOK.

If you are worried about "character development" this book is not for you. The book is strictly for your entertainment, to tickle your imagination. There is a different story in each chapter. Some containing relationships between poverty strucken kids. How drugs, alcohal, and sex ruins there lives or brings excitment to it. Other chapters on fictional characters such as one of my favorite called "Green Men" where these "green men" monsters wander the streets at night raping, killing, and eating people... if you don't share my ill interest on these topics please, don't waste your money.