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Title details for The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley - Wait list

The Half Life of Valery K

by Natasha Pulley
Jot Davies
Audiobook
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From the author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and The Kingdoms, an epic Cold War novel set in a mysterious town in Soviet Russia with a slow burn romance at its hearts. In 1963, in a Siberian prison, former nuclear specialist Valery Kolkhanov has mastered what it takes to survive: the right connections to the guards for access to food and cigarettes, the right pair of warm boots, and the right attitude toward the small pleasures of life so he won't go insane. But one day, all that changes: Valery's university mentor steps in and sweeps him from the frozen camp to a mysterious unnamed city. It houses a set of nuclear reactors, and surrounding it is a forest so damaged it looks like the trees have rusted from within. In City 40, Valery is Dr. Kolkhanov once more, and he's expected to serve out his prison term studying the effect of radiation on local animals. His research is overseen by an imposing but surprisingly kind KGB officer, Shenkov, whose trust Valery feels a strong urge to win. But as Valery begins his work, he is struck by the questions his research raises—ones even Shenkov is afraid to answer. Why is there so much radiation in this area? What, exactly, is being hidden from the thousands who live in the town? And if he keeps looking for answers, will he live to serve out his sentence? Based on real events in a surreal Soviet city, and told with bestselling author Natasha Pulley's inimitable style, The Half Life of Valery K is a sweeping new adventure for readers of Stuart Turton and Sarah Gailey.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 26, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781639731268
      • File size: 364846 KB
      • Duration: 12:40:05

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The warm embrace of Jot Davies's resonant baritone and his vivid characterizations make Natasha Pulley's masterful historical novel an addictive and memorable listening experience. Inspired by an actual nuclear explosion and subsequent cover-up in 1950s Soviet Russia, the story follows nuclear radiation expert Valery Kolkhanov, who is transferred from imprisonment in a gulag to study radiation poisoning in an isolated city. As Valery works to uncover the truth in a world built on lies and fear, Davies's cashmere voice comforts even as it lures listeners deep into the tense plot. The characters are complex, and Davies effectively explores them with believable accents and tonal shifts. And when love blooms along with terror, he gentles his voice to an ache that will make you long for more. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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