Ukraine

These stories are set in the country of Ukraine in the 1980s and 1990s. The first five stories take place in the late-Soviet era, and the other four stories take place after the Soviet Union has collapsed. These stories largely focus on the scarcity and material/economic insecurity that many Ukrainians faced in these eras. In the late-Soviet era, many people in Soviet nations faced scarcity due to economic mismanagement of resources. Then, after the Soviet Union fell, shifts towards capitalism addressed some of the scarcity. However, for many people, their poverty deepened, and class divisions became more pronounced.

1933 Ivansk Street

More than half of the stories incorporate the setting of 1933 Ivansk Street, a specific apartment building. This building and street both appear to be fictional; the author invented for the purpose of these stories. In “Novostroïka,” Daniil lives in a small apartment with in this building...