The Shoemaker and His Daughter

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In the Soviet Union of 1962, shoemaker Stanislav Suvorov is imprisoned for five years for selling his car at a profit, violating the Kremlin's strict speculation laws. Decades later, his daughter Zhanna helps navigate the new Russia, where past crimes turn into opportunities. Upon his release, Stanislav, driven by social shame, chooses voluntary exile in Siberia, relocating his family from a relatively comfortable life in Grozny to the harsh environment of Krasnoyarsk. This region, seen by some as the capital of the gulag, offers others a chance for a fresh start. The narrative unfolds during the final days of a Soviet Union where the Communist Party and KGB are desperate to maintain control, foreign visitors are unwelcome, and basic freedoms are severely restricted. Daily bread queues symbolize the struggles faced by the populace, where advocating for democracy can lead to imprisonment. The story spans over eighty years of Soviet and Russian history through the lens of the Suvorov family, intimately known to the author, Conor O'Clery, who is married to Zhanna. It vividly portrays a tumultuous period marked by war, power struggles, and the transition from Communism to capitalism, capturing the resilience of ordinary lives shaped by extraordinary circumstances.