Eastbound

Synopsis

Racing across Siberia aboard the Trans-Siberian Railway, twenty-year-old Aliocha is on his way to compulsory military service when he makes a desperate decision to flee. Hiding among crowded train cars and hoping to disappear before reaching the journey's end, he crosses paths with Hélène, a French woman travelling east in search of distance from a life she no longer recognizes. Though they share almost no common language, the two strangers forge an unlikely alliance that will test their courage, trust, and capacity for compassion.

In just over a hundred pages, Maylis de Kerangal creates a novel of remarkable emotional depth and relentless suspense. Eastbound is at once a literary thriller, a meditation on freedom, and a portrait of two lives briefly intersecting against the vastness of the Russian landscape. Elegant, propulsive, and unforgettable, it is a masterclass in compression from one of France's finest contemporary writers.

About the Author

Maylis de Kerangal is an award-winning French novelist whose internationally acclaimed works include Mend the Living, Birth of a Bridge, and Canoes. Renowned for her lyrical prose and immersive storytelling, she explores movement, labour, human connection, and the landscapes that shape our lives. Eastbound is translated from the French by Jessica Moore, an award-winning Canadian poet and translator.

Publisher

Archipelago Books

Publication Date

February 7, 2023

Format

Paperback

Pages

137

Subjects

Literary Fiction · Fiction in Translation · French Literature · Psychological Fiction · War Fiction · Novella

ISBN

9781953861504