Emerald Fly

The genre of family saga has many fans. They love when the story unfolds slowly, progressing at a leisurely pace, with conversations beginning with «do you remember...». Olga Nikulina initially adheres strictly to the canon. But as the ending approaches,... modern action—detective, thriller, crime drama—intrudes more frequently into the leisurely, almost antiquated narrative. What this parade of genres lacks is fantasy—everything feels very real and, unfortunately, familiar. Grandma, daughter, granddaughter. The grandmother has a Veterans' Home for stage performers, the daughter has a journalist friend, the granddaughter has her first love... But into this prosperous family story from a dramatic past swoops in that very fly—a «small brooch: on a thin gold frame, the head and wings set with small diamonds, the back and abdomen of the insect—an oval emerald of deep green color». A family heirloom. «By description, it looks a lot like a dung fly, if you take away the diamonds, thought Lyuba». This fly manages a lot: it causes rifts among family members, intensifies the plot to its limits, and even disappears without a trace. As if it never existed. But it did.