"When Your Love is Rejected, You Turn into a Monster." "Chronicles of the Ash Spring" - Anna Starobinets's New Novel About How Difficult It Is to Stay on the Bright Side

Anna Starobinets's novel "Chronicles of the Ash Spring. Magma of Witches" has been released by Ripol Classic (paperback) and Vimbo (e-book). This writer became famous for her very different books – children and parents will remember the "Beastly Detective" series, the fantasy novel "Fox Shallows" (2022) became popular beyond its genre, and the documentary prose "Look at Him" (2017) about the loss of an unborn child became a socially significant event. Starobinets's new novel combines fantasy, detective, psychological, and social prose. The main character is a progressive-thinking loner who finds himself in an environment that desperately resists change. Sorin Brut explains why this book is truly worth reading. Collage: "Novaya Gazeta Europe." 17 centuries have passed since a nuclear war. The remnants of humanity were forced to start life from scratch under a soot-covered sky and eternal winter – eventually reaching a New Middle Ages. Old gadgets have turned into religious icons of the Great Ji, a distorted, humanism-stripped version of Dark Ages Christianity, with a bitten apple as the main sacred symbol. These devices are not turned on; the post-apocalyptic inhabitants have no idea what to do with them. Along with the benefits of civilization, knowledge has also vanished, leaving humanity almost devoid of hope. The setting is the settlement of Pure Hills, a name that is a mockery, as the locals believe water is dangerous and avoid washing. An epidemic has broken out in the village, affecting almost the entire elite, especially Bishop Svanur, who holds the highest power. The culprit (who would have thought?) is a witch – a seamstress named Anna. Her dresses made of an amazing sky-like fabric were quickly burned by her fellow citizens, but this did not stop the disease. "We must execute the witch urgently" – and only the 38-year-old Bishop (few here live to such an age) is sicker than everyone else, so weakened that he cannot lift his hand to perform the execution ritual. He summons a young priest, Kai, from another settlement, a man with no particular career prospects, promotes him to inquisitor, and assigns him the task of passing judgment. However, upon receiving his new title, Kai refuses to play by others' rules and begins his own investigation. Kai is a man of science, accustomed to relying on logic and common sense. He immediately questions both the cause of the epidemic and Anna's guilt. Soon, he discovers that almost everyone has a motive to get rid of the autocratic bishop. Svanur wants to close the case quickly, but controlling the upstart is not easy, as Kai acts according to the letter of the treatise "Magma of Witches" authored by the bishop himself. Anna Starobinets. Photo: Tolo / ddp / Vida Press. In Pure Hills, Kai quickly makes enemies who are eager to hinder the investigation and file denunciations. The inquisitor himself might end up in the dock! Moreover, the investigation stalls, with new questions arising instead of answers, and the more actions Kai takes, the more complicated the case becomes. "Chronicles..." is a page-turner, partly due to the intricate detective plot and partly because of the dangers surrounding the outsider protagonist. A devastating blow can come from society or from within. The inquisitor is a psychologically unstable person in harsh circumstances, capable of self-destruction with little outside help. He evokes empathy – he is simultaneously strong and vulnerable, self-sufficient and lonely, intelligent yet lost in doubt, kind, but sometimes so engrossed in his work that he forgets compassion. Many readers will find him relatable: in the world of Pure Hills, the inquisitor most resembles a modern person, a carrier of progressive views in an environment dominated by dubious traditions and prejudices. The context of the book also evokes associations with a time of conservative turnaround. "Chronicles..." is a multi-layered novel, and the reflections on society, psychology, and contemporary and eternal human issues are as interesting as the plot. The norm in Pure Hills is harsh inequality, evident from the first pages where Svanur tries to elicit an honest opinion from the non-noble elder Chen. Chen knows well that those "from below" are not expected to have independent views or initiative. Chen, the son of a commoner and a nobleman, dreams of buying his father's lineage, but it costs a fortune. Initially, this seems like vain ambition, but the deeper one delves into the world of the New Middle Ages, the clearer the practical side of this decision becomes. All instances always side with the nobility. Even a doctor might only save a "low-born" person out of pure kindness. The low-born are relegated to all the dirty and heavy work. Breast milk is a common drink for the nobility, consumed directly from the breast. A nobleman is permitted to take any non-noble woman. Kai does not abuse his privileges and readily associates with the common folk, irritating the elites. Unlike most characters, he is not devoid of compassion, especially gentle with his murogs (mutated giant ants used instead of horses). The "stable master," however, is at least indifferent to his charges – a typical attitude: "You think he's 'your boy' (...) In reality, he's just part of the mechanism. He's only attached to his mother (...) Pure instincts and zero brains. How can you love such creatures?" People in Pure Hills are treated similarly. The low-born are part of the service mechanism. Tradition helps divide people into fully alive and less alive, simplifying control. The reality of Pure Hills largely consists of such simplifications, whether unequal communication or countless prejudices. One of the book's sensations is that everyone is wandering in the dark, trying to explain reality and gain a comforting sense of control. Prejudices are like a life raft for the characters. The post-apocalyptic world is dangerous. The new mythology suggests that trust and compassion help evil spread, and threats lurk at every step. In harsh conditions, it's natural to rely on the simplest solutions, which often only multiply the dangers, a fact only Kai notices. He seems to be the only one who believes in the benefit of truth, which ultimately irritates the inhabitants of Pure Hills. They rely only on adapting to the environment. A vivid metaphor for the danger of this choice is the murog carousel (Starobinets often uses these animals to depict human behavior). When part of the herd strays, it tries to return to the path marked by its predecessors but repeatedly stumbles upon its own mistaken tracks – finding the path, it immediately loses it and circles almost in place. Then, agitated, the murogs accelerate and trample each other. By fully adapting to the general order, the inhabitants of Pure Hills accumulate mistakes. The not-so-adaptive Kai is their hope to step beyond the circle. He bets on what can improve the conditions themselves – research and the creation of new rules. "Realistic explanations are used by those who lack faith," "All 'natural' and 'scientific' arguments are from the evil one, for they obscure the light of pure faith and lead astray from the true path," the hero hears throughout the book. Kai's mother, in her letters, constantly reproaches him for turning away from God and relying on questionable common sense. His inner voice constantly accuses him of the same, and Kai feels his progressive thinking is an illness. A step into the unknown is always about vulnerability, which scares the inhabitants of Pure Hills even more than the stepper. The environment presses down on Kai, slowing his progress and forcing him to gradually concede ground. The temptation to get rid of his precarious position as an outcast is great for the hero. Will Kai find a conformist in the mirror at the end of the book? "Chronicles..." contains the words: "It turned out that when your love is rejected, you turn into a monster." These words extend beyond the specific situation. Kai faces rejection constantly, and his desire to help the inhabitants of Pure Hills resembles unrequited love. In such a situation, it's easy to start speaking the language of war and, aggressively doing "good," turn into the Kai from "The Snow Queen" (there are references to her in the book besides the hero's name). "Chronicles..." repeatedly emphasizes how difficult it is sometimes to distinguish good from evil. It seems you are serving the Great Ji faithfully, but in reality, you are working for his "evil brother." The novel's hero must navigate between Scylla and Charybdis. Supporters of Russia's renewal are in a similar position. It's hard to imagine that Starobinets didn't keep this similarity in mind. "Chronicles..." is largely a book about the vulnerability of nascent cultural progress and the thorns it must overcome to assert itself. Everything in the novel seems to suggest its chances were always extremely slim. Nevertheless, humanity has reached the 21st century, only to find itself at a point where all efforts and achievements can be nullified in mere hours. Starobinets reminds us that it will take centuries to get out of the apocalypse. It's far more likely that humanity will never get out.