Kishtama

The debut novel by Natalia Yeletskaya "Salikhat" became a finalist for the National Literary Prize "Manuscript of the Year" and was published in a print run of over 50,000 copies. The subsequent novels "Aybala. The Story of a Midwife" and "Taiga, on Demand" repeated the success of "Salikhat." In the new novel "Kishtama," the author once again addresses the themes explored in the books "Salikhat" and "Aybala," telling the story of a woman who is forced to make a difficult choice between her family's traditions and her own feelings. The 1990s, the Dagestani village of Tsurib. Young Kishtama lives with her father Ismail and younger brother. Kishtama’s mother and stepmother died four years apart, each of which was a leap year. Kishtama's friend, Maryam, unwillingly becomes Ismail's next wife; she fears repeating the fate of her predecessors and is convinced that she too will die in a leap year. Kishtama is engaged to Maryam's brother, Arsen, who leaves to earn money to save for their wedding. An accident occurs at the construction site — he loses an arm. Ismail cannot allow his daughter to marry a disabled man and finds his daughter a new fiancé. But Kishtama is not ready to give up her love for Arsen. She runs away from home and goes to her fiancé to support him. But is Arsen ready for the arrival of his bride? Can Kishtama marry without her father's blessing, who swore he would never give his consent to this marriage? And will Maryam escape the curse of the leap year?..