There Once Lived a Mother Who Loved Her Children, Until They Moved Back In

Delve into the complex and often brutal landscape of family life in Ludmilla Petrushevskaya’s collection of three novellas. These unsettling tales explore the intricate bonds between spouses, parents, and children, where love frequently intertwines with cruelty, desperation, and unexpected acts of survival. From an aging poet exploited by her adult children to a mother committing a grave act to protect her son, Petrushevskaya masterfully blends elements of horror, dark satire, and profound psychological insight into a world both familiar and disturbingly strange.

Why You Should Read?

• Experience a unique blend of dark fantasy, satire, and psychological drama within domestic settings.
• Explore the unsettling realities of dysfunctional family relationships and the extreme lengths people go to for love or survival.
• Discover the work of a celebrated Russian author known for her piercing, unsentimental narratives.
• Engage with morally ambiguous characters facing impossible choices in a vivid, "carnivalesque" world.