"Sometimes I ask myself why I need an external figure for writing: my mother, father, or Svetlana. Why can't I write about myself? Because I am the base of the mirror's reflective surface. The metallic coating. You can gaze at the back of the mirror for a long time and see nothing but fine, shimmering dust. I reflect reality."

Oksana Vasyakina concludes her autofiction trilogy, which began with the books "Wound" and "Steppe," with a novel where she attempts to unravel the mystery of her aunt Svetlana's short, almost weightless life. From small fragments of memory, a complex image emerges, where difficult relationships with her mother, domestic instability, and indifference to her own fate coexist with almost childlike vulnerability and purity.

However, the deeper the protagonist delves into the story of Svetlana, the more she realizes their inseparable connection and learns more about herself and the nature of her writing.

Oksana Vasyakina is a writer and the laureate of the "Lyceum" (2019) and "NOS" (2021) awards.