Der ehemalige Sohn

“President Lukashenko considers Filipenko his personal enemy; he faces more than twenty years in prison. Filipenko now lives in exile.” src

A novel banned in Belarus, depicting life over the last couple of decades under the authoritarian Lukashenko regime. Framed by real world tragedies - from the Nyamiha stampede to the 2011 Minsk Metro bombing - the novel is segmented into three parts. Life before the coma, introducing us to our freespirited young protagonist and family; Life during the coma, defined by a grandmother's stubborn dedication; and Life after the coma, which awakens the protagonist into a country that seemingly is going backwards.

A funny and occasionally sentimental read (the grandmother's goodbye letter caught me), written with bite and melancholy. Absolutely informative for people like me who didn't know much about Belarus's past and recent developments.