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The Vanishing Futurist

Moscow, August 1918. In the febrile, post-Revolutionary atmosphere a group of friends come together with the aim of transforming themselves into true Communists. Led by charismatic inventor Nikita Slavkin, they abolish private property, collectivise their underwear and swear celibacy for the cause. Among them is a young Englishwoman, Gertrude Freely. Her choice not to emigrate, but to devote herself to Slavkin's Utopian experiment will alter the course of her life.

The city around them is close to starvation. The cellars of the Cheka, forerunners to the KGB, are crammed with the enemies of the Revolution; the Civil War is raging and the middle classes are pouring out of the country.

Yet in the white-washed rooms of the commune, Gerty and her friends are swept away by the exhilaration of their new life. From the wreckage of the old, they are creating the modern world - free of bourgeois clutter, alight with creativity, sleek and beautiful as a machine.

When Slavkin vanishes while testing his latest invention, he is hailed as a Soviet Hero - the scientist who sacrificed himself for the future of Communism.
Gerty, alone and vulnerable, must now discover what truths that future holds.

Vivid and sharp, this debut novel by award-winning writer Charlotte Hobson conjures up a moment of irresistible possibility.

Publisher: www.faber.co.uk
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