A Toy | Serhii Hrydin; translated from Ukrainian by Uliana Basmanova

Hrydin, Serhii

A Toy / Serhii Hrydin ; translated from Ukrainian by Uliana Basmanova ; edited by Devid Wenham. — К. : Znannia, 2024. — 124 p.

In “A Toy”, the modern Ukrainian writer Serhii Hrydin, a master of psychological prose for young people, once again raises the problem of growing up. Nazar, a boarding school pupil, feels useless to everyone — his own mother’s custody was taken away when he was very young, and his relationship with his adopted family did not start off great. But then he meets the charismatic landfill slum-dweller — Uncle Vasyl. He has unique views on morals and the law, but Nazar is happy to find someone who appears to finally treat him as an equal. What will this unusual friendship lead to, and will the boy be able to find the family he longs for, where he will be understood and loved for who he is?