Polina Krymskaya’s Forbidden Rock and Roll is a pretty powerful read, just as the author is a pretty powerful author. She’s young and talented and has an amazing life ahead of her as a writer, if she chooses to pursue that, and I fervently hope she does.
I had the pleasure of editing this book, as well as the sequel, and thoroughly enjoyed both. There are few books that I will remember months [if not years] down the road, but hers I definitely will.
The characters are strong, the storyline simple yet complex. It revolves around students in a small Soviet town. The two main characters, Seva and Zhenya. form a friendship based on mutual school friends and studying and a love of forbidden rock and roll; over time, the friendship becomes more intricate.
While Seva is artistic, Zhenya is academic. As the former grows increasingly confused about his mental state—re sexuality and leaning—he begins to withdraw from the friendship and eventually, completely retreats. He is left grappling with emotions he can’t—and doesn’t want to—comprehend.
Seva begins dating a popular schoolmate, Alina, which serves as a distraction from what he’s truly feeling—that he has distinct feelings for Zhenya. Life goes on … as do inner conflicts.
The time and setting are not conducive to gay relationships. In fact, there are serious consequences if one is found to have homosexual tendencies. Acknowledging one is such would be next to perilous, as one would pay an incredible price, such as exile or prison, among other things.
The story is thought provoking, taking us into the mind of a young man with confusing thoughts and turbulent emotions that he struggles to control. The reader is pulled into the two young men’s world; it’s impossible not to feel for the characters and their challenges and struggles.
Yet, despite the odds, there’s hope that somewhere down the road, there will be a happy ending. You want them to succeed. You want them to end up together. Love, after all, is a very splendid thing.
The Writer's Grab-Bag 