The Tsar of Love and Techno

After the initial glimpse into Sergei’s petty crimes as a phone scammer, this story quickly becomes a poignant reflection on the nature of forgiveness and guilt. Ultimately, the story is about coming to terms with history, both from an individual and societal perspective. For Vladimir, the ending is redemptive, as he genuinely feels a connection to his father and perhaps even to his uncle whom he has resented for so long. As he processes the countless images of his father, painted in by the same uncle he turned into the Communist party nearly a lifetime ago, he also comes to peace with his own relationship with his son, as we see in this passage: “He leaned into Sergei and for the second time that day Vladimir felt himself righted in the arms of a son who had, somehow, forgiven him, who now, somehow, sustained him” (317). In this passage, we see Vladimir in his most sympathetic light, a father who no longer wants to cram petty criminal knowledge into his son’s mind.

Nadya, the collection’s most sympathetic (living) character, fills the scene with added grace, her own gratitude for life is seemingly contagious. In a broader sense, as Nadya takes Vladimir through the museum, she serves as a symbolic guide for anyone trying to make sense of a complicated national history, one that included “erasing” people from photographic records. One person’s doctoral dissertation is another person’s real and pain-filled life.