Mikhail is forced into the Russian Army by his homophobic father. He dreams of joining his only love, Maksim, in Paris. Separated by war he soon finds himself on the front in Ukraine fighting a war he does not believe in. Brutalised, he plans his escape, but as a deserter from the Wagner group, there is a huge price to pay... If you are seeking a novel that romanticises Russian culture and life or exudes the patriotic rhetoric of Vladimir Putin, then certainly you will be disappointed. Whilst Mikhail’s narrative is fiction, the invasion of Ukraine is not. Tens of thousands have been killed in an unprecedented act of unwarranted Russian aggression. The author of this novel stands wholeheartedly with Ukraine. This is a book that warns its reader not to remain silent – Russian anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech has ultimately infected the Bulgarian psyche (an EU member) without a single shot being fired. There is no fear of invasion here for they’ve already arrived – years ago. Mikhail’s resistance is his own existence, but for how long?