Don't Expect Anything

The book is based on the author’s childhood and memories of her grandfather — a figure who remains both intimately close and curiously distant. It explores what it means to grow up, and be raised, under foreign occupation: the slow, quiet shaping of a person. More than that, it is about remaining human — holding on to oneself in the face of absurdity, and finding poetry and peace in everyday moments.

At the heart of it all stands the grandfather, a steadfast beacon, guiding the way to a safe harbour — even when waves of Pioneer zeal rise high and soviet heroes signal confusing messages from the shore.