Russische Spezialitäten

Bittersweet and deeply political, Dmitrij Kapitelman writes in his new novel about family and the (im)possibility of communication in times of old and new wars. A family from Kyiv sells Russian specialties in Leipzig. Vodka, pelmeni, SIM cards, sailor shirts - and a somehow Eastern European sense of belonging. However, the latter has been lost since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The mother stands by Putin. And her son, who loves no language more than Russian, no person more than his mother, but also no city more than Kyiv, is in despair. It is not wise of him to return to Ukraine in the midst of war. But what is he to do when there is no other way to rescue Mama from fascism and the insane Russian television lies? A book that only Dmitrij Kapitelman could write: tragic, tender, and funny all at once.