New Year 1988/1989: A theatre student, a taxi driver, a partisan, and a crook join a detective's family in Kiev for an ill-fated reunion. They and the Soviet nation face a violent reckoning as old secrets and fugitive hopes emerge. Winner of the 2026 Independent Press Award for Literary Fiction and for World Literature Winner of the Best of Novel prize in the 2025 Sunspot Literary Journal Solar Flare Contest Sequel to The Girl in the Water, winner of the 2023 Independent Press Award for Literary Fiction “riveting … a high-stakes, character-driven drama infused with a palpable sense of political noir” — Printed Word Reviews “another testament to [Howse’s] writing prowess” — BlueInk Review