“Between a Dog and a Wolf” (1980), the second novel by Sasha Sokolov (b. 1943), is a highly original work. Considering that the Russian literary language has become “worn out” from constant use and has lost all expressiveness, the writer is trying to get away from the usual language norms. The result of this was a completely unique style, in the creation of which rough vernacular, dialects, works of Russian and world classics, the sublime style of Holy Scripture, and words invented by the author himself took equal part. The action of the novel “wanders” from one bank of the river to the other and back, two narrators alternately intercept the thread of the narrative, prose gives way to poetry, and poetry to prose, and each combination of words amazes with its unexpectedness.