About the book: 2016 / The basis of the new, European-style light and at the same time psychologically deep novel by Alexey Polyarinov is a study of modern sects. The author does not give an unambiguous assessment, inviting us to draw our own conclusions about the nature of Evil and Good. The story of Yuri Garin, a professor at the University of Missouri, highlights both the abuser and the victim in the main character. And, growing in detail, it even goes back to mythological and mystical dimensions. Honestly, it’s harsh in places, but so vital that you want it to be true. “Kira lives in the closed northern city of Sulima, where the locals make a living by poaching. Lee is on a university campus in the United States, conducting research at the intersection of contemporary art and anthropology. Tanya is in modern Moscow, making documentaries. Unbeknownst to them, evil penetrates their lives and threatens to destroy them. Or maybe it was always there? But why, due to what, how did this happen? “The Reef” is a novel about the eternal war of generations, the author’s study of religious cults, where ancient rituals are mixed with modernity, and mythological and mystical dimensions are hidden behind urgent plots. Each of us can come across a RIF, what’s more important is how you survive the crash.” Alexey Polyarinov entered literature with the novel “Center of Gravity”, which was heard in the media and was nominated for a number of awards (“Big Book”, “National Bestseller”, “ NOSE"). He is known as the co-translator of David Foster Wallace's popular and controversial novel Infinite Jest. “An intellectual novel about memory and closed communities that mutilate and destroy people. It’s amazing how far Polyarinov went thinking about this.” Maxim Mamlyga, Esquire