At first glance, Alexey Varlamov is a happy person. A famous writer, professor at Moscow State University, author of several prose books, almost all of which were awarded prestigious prizes. Just remember the “Anti-Booker”, the Alexander Solzhenitsyn Prize, the national literary award “Big Book”. But in each of his works there is pain for what is happening in the world, in Russia, in the fate of his compatriots. Varlamov doesn’t invent anything. Everything that is told in this book has been experienced by the author, and therefore has such power of influence. The book includes the famous novel “Loch”, the story “Valdez” and stories from different years: “The Man”, “Shanghai”, “Jewish Woman”, “Parrot” on the Oka", "Sector "E"", "All people can swim", "Oath", "Pogost".