The first compelling voice in literary fiction to emerge from the Chechen War
Â
With a lyrical fusion of exotic legends, stories, and memories of Chechnya, this fictionalized biography offers a rare glimpse of a land of wondrous beauty, site of genocides past and present, and the author's ancestral home. Haunted by memories of the land he deserted, Sadulaev tells the stories of those who stayed behind. He brings dead friends back to life again, revisiting their first loves, their passion for rock music, and their quests for martyrdom. He immerses readers in the intoxicating beauty of his homeland's mountains, blossoms, and the flocks of migratory swallows that fill its skies. This is an intensely personal journey through the carnage of the war, exploring the pain, the challenge, and above all the meaning of being a Chechen.
