The Day God Disappeared

The beginning of the 2000s, a southern mining town. 15-year-old Marina and 17-year-old Zhenya are trying to break free from the mundane and find themselves in this world. Marina, confronted with unrequited love and betrayal by a friend, seeks refuge in a Mormon church. Zhenya, not understanding what he wants from life, tries to go with the flow of murky waters. Their fates are intertwined, each facing their dark side and each undergoing initiation. It seems that the city is always dark, but someone will find a way to turn on the light…
«The Day God Disappeared» is a vivid example of southern gothic on Russian soil: the Rostov region takes on almost mythological features in Chufistova's novel. This is a coming-of-age story, a story of self-acceptance and destiny set against the backdrop of a hot provincial city, tonally balancing between Harper Lee and Vera Bogdanova.
Marina Chufistova is a writer living in Rostov-on-Don. She graduated from the literary workshop of Evgeny Babushkin, a finalist of the «Liceum» prize.