Originally written as a series of viral Facebook posts, Meshchaninova's memoir-novel tackles gender politics and trauma with honest, cutting language. "Stories of a Life" depicts the trials of narrator Natasha as she tries to break free from her small-town existence and the men who abuse her, including her stepfather. Starkly wry and down-to-earth, "Stories of Life" irreverently bears witness to the bleakness of young womanhood in post-Soviet Russia.
