“The Road to U.”, along which Alexander Ilyanen moves away from the (Russian) novel, masterfully confusing his tracks and avoiding seemingly inevitable traps, is whimsical, like (French) speech, clear, like musical notation, and sad like a memory. I am grateful for the opportunity to be his traveling companion. Gleb Morev Snatches of conversations and quotes, the salon babble of an abandoned capital - “The Road to U.” paved with the cobblestones of everyday chaos. Iljanen's characters live in the world of expressionistic newsreels, filled with secret energies, but devoid of action verbs. Dmitry Volchek