Pioneer Summer
A Novel
Elena Malisova author Kateryna Sylvanova author Anne O Fisher translator
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Abrams
Publishing:5th Jun '25
£19.99
This title is due to be published on 5th June, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
This star-crossed gay romance is a #1 bestselling TikTok sensation that took readers by storm, made international news, and catalyzed one of Russia’s largest-ever crackdowns on LGBTQ representation
The year is 1986, and Yurka Konev, 16, has been sent off for another summer at Pioneer Camp. Impulsive, forthright, and unfairly branded as a troublemaker, he anticipates the weeks ahead of him with boredom and dread. But when he’s pushed into working on the camp’s theater production, he meets serious, thoughtful troop leader Volodya. Yurka finds himself drawn to the slightly older boy, and, surprisingly, Volodya seems to like him, too. The two boys grow closer and closer, and though both fear the consequences of their illegal attraction, its gravity pulls them together. Now, 20 years later, Yury returns to the abandoned camp to reminisce on the relationship that changed his life forever—and discovers that not all history is destined to remain in the past.
Cowritten by a Ukrainian–Russian duo, Pioneer Summer became a runaway TikTok sensation and #1 bestseller in Russia, reaching such heights of popularity that Putin stepped in to ban it. Now, this swoony romance will transport American readers to another place and time and introduce them to one of the most memorable relationships of their lives.
“[Pioneer Summer] sensitively charts the process of falling in love for the first time. The relationship between Yury and Volodya, blossoming in difficult circumstances, is tenderly described. It is, at heart, a classic story of young love triumphing, however briefly, against the odds. . . .The book is more than a breakout hit. It is also the catalyst for the latest legislative assault on L.G.B.T.Q. rights in Russia.” * NEW YORK TIMES *
“The #1 bestselling TikTok sensation that sent readers into a frenzy, made international news, and catalyzed one of Russia’s largest-ever crackdowns on LGBTQ+ representation is publishing in English for this first time this June. Pioneer Summer follows 16-year-old Yurka, who is sent off to a summer camp and finds himself drawn to an older boy who leads the theater department. The consequences of acting on their attraction to each other would be severe – but that doesn’t change how they feel about each other.” * QUEERTY *
ISBN: 9781419773105
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
448 pages