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The Half Life of Valery K
THE TIMES HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
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The Half Life of Valery K
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Ideal for readers who enjoy atmospheric historical fiction blending mystery and science, with a taste for evocative Soviet-era settings and thought-provoking plots.
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Description
SUNDAY TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2022
The Times Historical Fiction Book of the Month
The truth must come out.
In 1963, in a Siberian gulag, former nuclear specialist Valery Kolkhanov has mastered what it takes to survive: the right connections to the guards for access to food and cigarettes, the right pair of warm boots to avoid frostbite, and the right attitude toward the small pleasures of life. But on one ordinary day, all that changes: Valery’s university mentor steps in and sweeps Valery from the frozen prison camp to a mysterious unnamed town hidden within a forest so damaged it looks like the trees have rusted from within.
Here, Valery is Dr. Kolkhanov once more, and he’s expected to serve out his prison term studying the effect of radiation on local animals. But as Valery begins his work, he is struck by the questions his research raises: what, exactly, is being hidden from the thousands who live in the town? And if he keeps looking for answers, will he live to serve out his sentence?
Based on real events in a surreal Soviet city, and told with bestselling author Natasha Pulley’s inimitable style, The Half Life of Valery K is a sweeping historical adventure.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781408885239
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 23 June 2022
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 153.0mm
Height: 234.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 384
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About the Author
Natasha Pulley’s first novel The Watchmaker of Filigree Street was a Sunday Times bestseller, won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award. Her second novel, The Bedlam Stacks was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature’s Encore Award and longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize, while subsequent novels The Lost Future of Pepperharrow and The Kingdoms were published to widespread critical acclaim, cementing Natasha’s reputation as one of the most original and exciting new young writers at work. She lives in Bristol.
@natasha_pulley
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