Otherworldly forces dark phantasmagoria the horrors of underground life adolescence and rebellion myth and fairy tale all swirl in Alla Gorbunovas audacious and spectacular novel Children students beggars young poets Alla Gorbunovas heroes and heroines live their lives intensely experiencing the longing joy anticipation and heartbreak of youth in 1990s Saint Petersburgamp160But Gorbunovas interconnected episodes dont limit themselves to the realm of the everyday as they move from harsh material realities to delirious dark fantasies Characters escape decline selfdestruct and transform In vivid prose she conjures a fragile and haunted society and renders it with frank and uncompromising tenderness A stunning work of fiction Its the End of the World My Love is a compassionate terrifying and rewarding book from an undeniable literary voiceamp160