Kůže – Někrasovová Jevgenija (2023)

The novel Skin by young Russian writer Evgeniya Nekrasova tells the story of two women, a Black slave from the American South and a Russian serf, whose fates intertwine. In the American South, the slave Hope is born, whom her mother tries to protect from the same fate that befell her. However, they are torn apart, and Hope's new owner takes her away from the continent. In Russia, Domna is born into a serf family, where she is pampered and spoiled as the youngest daughter. One day, a carriage suddenly arrives for her – her owner has lost her in a card game. ***** The heroines meet somewhere in the midst of the Russian plains and, in a magical moment, exchange skins. Thus begins the series of events during which both women try to free themselves, redeem their loved ones, and, last but not least, avenge their previous suffering. ***** Evgeniya Nekrasova's original and stylistically bold novel deals with themes of emancipation and freedom and spans a wide line to reflect the problems of contemporary Russian civil society, torn between the past and the future, the East and the West. The narrative is carried by a distinctive, fairy-tale-like style with elements of the fantastical.