Synopses & Reviews
From sensational storyteller, Josh Weil, comes an epic tale of brotherly love, a sui generis novel swathed in the all the magic of Russian folklore and set against the backdrop of an all too possible dystopian alternate reality.
Twin brothers Yarik and Dima have been inseparable since childhood. Living on their uncle's farm after the death of their father, the boys once spent their days helping and observing the fishermen, their nights spellbound by their uncle's mythic tales. Years later, the two men labor side by side at the Oranzheria, a sprawling glass greenhouse built over farmlands; a capitalist experiment that keeps the surrounding townspeople in perpetual daylight. Work is now the only thing the twins have in common stalwart Yarik is married with children, and oppressed by the burden of responsibility and the pressures of work, whilst dreamer Dima lives alone with his mother and rooster and spends his time gingerly planning the brothers return to their uncles land.
One ordinary day, a bizarre encounter with the Oranzerhia's ruthless owner, Boris Romanovitch Bazarov, changes the brothers' lives forever. When Dima quits his job and Yarik garners promotion, both men become poster boys for two very different ideologies. As Yarik and Dima's paths increasingly diverge, they find themselves at the center of strange conspiracies, disasters, deceptions, and greed, that not only threaten to obliterate their bond, but divide the lives of everyone around them.
A thrillingly ambitious novel of love, loss, and light, set in an alternative present-day Russia.
Review
"A genuinely fascinating novel for its inventiveness, its passionate breadth and vision." Richard Ford
Review
"Josh Weil writes away from all the official channels, and yet he writes about exactly where we are now. His vision is sustained by proper instinct and intelligent observation. He is certainly among the most gifted writers of his generation." Colum McCann
Review
"A marvelously strange parable, brought to earth by a nuanced and deeply felt portrait of fraternal love. If The New Valley didn't convince you, The Great Glass Sea will: Josh Weil is a storyteller of the first order." Joshua Ferris
Review
"The Great Glass Sea imagines a Russia of the near-future that stands in for both the rest of the globe and the bonds between us as individuals: a world of both magical bounty and heartbreaking ephemerality. It's about the urge to on the one hand conserve all we can while on the other to make of all we encounter a field of ceaseless yield, and it's as sad and filled with wonder on its obsessive subject of brotherly love as any novel I've recently encountered." Jim Shepard
Synopsis
From celebrated storyteller Josh Weil comes a sui generis epic swathed in all the magic of Russian folklore and set against the dystopian backdrop of an all too real alternate present.
Twins Yarik and Dima have been inseparable since childhood. Living on their uncle's farm after the death of their father, the boys once spent their days helping farmers in fields, their nights spellbound by their uncle's tales. Years later, they labor together at the Oranzheria, a sea of glass erected over acres of cropland and lit by space mirrors that ensnare the denizens of Petroplavilsk in perpetual daylight. Now the twins have only work in common--stalwart Yarik married with children, oppressed by the burden of responsibility; dreamer Dima living alone with his mother, wistfully planning the brothers' return to their uncle's land.
But an encounter with the Oranzerhia's billionaire owner changes their lives forever and soon both men find themselves poster boys for opposing ideologies that threaten to destroy not only the lives of those they love but the love that has bonded them since birth.
A breathtakingly ambitious novel of love, loss, and light, set amid a bold vision of an alternative present-day Russia.
Synopsis
From celebrated storyteller Josh Weil comes an epic tragedy of brotherly love, a sui generis novel swathed in all the magic of Russian folklore and set against the dystopian backdrop of an all too real alternate present.
Twin brothers Yarik and Dima have been inseparable since childhood. Living on their uncles farm after the death of their father, the boys once spent their days helping farmers in collective fields, their nights spellbound by their uncles mythic tales. Years later, the two men labor side by side at the Oranzheria, a sea of glass the largest greenhouse in the world that sprawls over acres of cropland. Lit by space mirrors orbiting above, it ensnares the denizens of Petroplavilsk in perpetual daylight and constant productivity, leaving the twins with only work in common stalwart Yarik married with children, oppressed by the burden of responsibility; dreamer Dima living alone with his mother and rooster, wistfully planning the brothers return to their uncles land.
But an encounter with the Oranzerhia's billionaire owner changes their lives forever. Dima drifts into a laborless life of bare subsistence while Yarik begins a headspinning ascent from promotion to promotion until both men become poster boys for opposing ideologies, pawns at the center of conspiracies and deceptions that threaten to destroy not only the lives of those they love but the very love that has bonded the brothers since birth. This is a breathtakingly ambitious novel of love, loss, and light, set amid a bold vision of an alternative present-day Russia.
About the Author
Josh Weil was the recipient of the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction for his debut novella collection, The New Valley. He has been named a National Book Award "5 Under 35" author, a Fulbright scholar, and was a Jersey Fellow at Columbia University. His fiction has appeared in Granta, StoryQuarterly, and New England Review, among others. Weil divides his time between New York City and Southwestern Virginia.