Anna Shipilova's debut collection of short stories reflects on growing up against the backdrop of a rapidly changing reality. It's not only the author's attempt to understand the present, but also a glimpse into a future that seems to be just around the corner. Among its characters are teenagers, young girls, and young women facing violence, betrayal, trauma, and ever-increasing trials. Their world is unsettled and unsupported, their loved ones are incompetent, and their surrounding reality is crumbling before their eyes—and yet they grow up in spite of it. Despite the bleak visions of a future that appears to be tipped back into the past, these stories are imbued with an inescapable ironic tone, preventing the loss of light in the impenetrable darkness.