From political fictionalist Alisa Ganieva: a neo-noir portrait of a legal system in which everything is broken and no one is innocent. Offended Sensibilities chronicles a series of sudden deaths that occur among officials of a provincial Russian town. The events follow a notorious blasphemy law banning forms of expression that offend the sensibilities of religious believers – a law passed after Pussy Riot’s infamous 2013 church-side protest that resulted in their arrest.
With this novel, Ganieva moves beyond the Dagestani setting of her previous award-winning books, published in English by Deep Vellum: The Mountain and the Wall and Bride and Groom. In Offended Sensibilities, Ganieva seeks to address nationalism, Orthodox religiosity, sexuality, and political corruption. Suffused with a light touch and at times rollicking sense of humor, this timely, entertaining and thought-provoking novel can be read as an allegory for the current political, social, religious, and cultural climate in Russia today.
"Offended Sensibilities chronicles a series of sudden deaths that occur among officials of a provincial Russian town. The events in the plot relate to the notorious recent law banning forms of expression that "offend the sensibilities" of religious believers. With this novel, Ganieva moves beyond the setting and themes of her previous writing to address contemporary themes such as nationalism, Orthodox religiosity, sexuality, and political corruption. She handles these weighty issues with a light touch and at times rollicking sense of humor that will keep readers turning the pages. This timely, entertaining, and thought-provoking novel can be read as an allegory for Russia's current political, social, religious, and cultural climate"--
