A delightful postmodern comedy of manners of the 20th century, a novel about the molecular Brownian relationships of the ghosts of several “lost generations.” It traces the fates of several dozen people from fairly prosperous families in New York state, so it is also a family saga, covering a significant part of the 20th century - from the 1930s to the 1960s. In addition, this is a novel about painting and art of the 20th century, about the mystery of creativity, about its true and imaginary values, about originals and fakes. It is also a “coming of age” novel, as well as a roguish novel with its own detective intrigue, secrets and unexpected plot twists. And of course, this is a book with many layers of irony, which are masterfully assembled into such an elegant Chinese puzzle box that understanding “Cigarettes” is a complete reading pleasure.