Walter Judson Moore

The Titov Letters a Novel of Development, Drama, and Life in the New Russia Walter Judson Moore Second edition

Nina comes of-age in-and in spite of-early 1990s Russia as she and her friends tell about life, privations, successes, attempted coups, abortion and worse, while her father shepherds a colleague's barter enterprise to riches. Four friends transition from secondary school to university or conservatory and then to not always blissful married life and careers. Juxtaposed with their lives is the enterprise, and threats of violence from a greedy pseudo-oligarch high in the Kremlin. Rich, tapestry-like detail of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, rural Lodeynoye Pole, and long-distance train travel surround the story. The enterprise ships commodities from Russia through the Volga-Baltic waterway to Finland; and dollars find their way to Florida and Cyprus. Brutality slams the families, and the whole enterprise mobilizes to contain the damage. This late 20th century historical novel chronicles a small and authentic slice of Russian life in letters, e-mail, and personal notes.