Without applying any postmodern tricks or tweaks, the author has produced a piece that excels beyond mere text into the realm of literature. We talk here about a presence effect phenomena which contagiously transforms readers from bystanders into real participants of events that just moments ago may have presented little interest. From the very beginning, stories about characters great and small captivate audiences with their charm. Whether it be a short story about a tiny etude named pelican Kesha, a trip to Hebron, a near-detective story about Korney Chukovsky's last love affair, an ironic and nostalgic telling of the Herzen anniversary at Stanford, or a piercing story about the author's father, readers will uncover engaging tales throughout. As you'll see, the variations in plot, geography, and style-whether it be prose, essays, journalism, or travel notes-only add to the vast richness of the work. With a lightness of pen and a natural ability to see life as an eternal and inseparable connection of the tragic and the comedic, Sonia Tuchinsky weaves a lyrical collection that begs for further investigation.