When the Gods Sleep

Is human power a blessing or a burden? Do people have the right to decide the fates of others? How important is it to know the past of one’s lineage in order to gain forgiveness from ancestors and not break the lives of descendants? The main character of S. Alexeev's novel, former governor Anatoly Zubaty, who has experienced the loss of his beloved son, tries to find answers to these and many other questions. Words accidentally thrown by an old woman in the street make the politician recall all his mistakes and rethink his life. But most importantly, he must understand and accept the guilt for the crime committed, in order to achieve the only meeting that will become a reward for a long spiritual search. The novel tightly intertwines past and future, mysticism and religion, science and history, secular and sacred – categories that shape the uniqueness of the Russian mentality and therefore are close and understandable to every reader.