Elephant

An important part of the new novel by Sasha Filipenko — a crossword. A rigid formal framework within which the acting hero — despite all his free will and creative unpredictability — must fit. Otherwise, the idea won't make it to the finish. The second completely formal device — elephants in the city. A beaten metaphor that allows for no alternative readings: elephants are problems so huge that they cannot be overlooked. But it turns out — can they? And the hero of the novel, a satirist-stand-up comedian, dedicates his life to waking his fellow citizens from a stupor. The system he fights against tries to turn him into a problem for the common people, to "make him an elephant." But the hero has a powerful resource for resistance — he is in love. At first mutually, then unrequitedly — his beloved betrays him. The problems before the hero are unsolvable, beyond human capabilities. Will there be a magical remedy for dehumanization?

34 across: A feeling characterized by deep attachment and devotion to another person. Six letters. The second letter is "u," the fifth letter is "v."