Brave has managed to capture blistering heartache and raw beauty in this masterful symphony of literature.
They Lived They Were at Brighton Beach is the story of a young DJ who gets his heart broken and learns to love again. Only, that is an oversimplification of this brilliant contemporary tale. Ilya Nikolayevich Gagarin is an up and coming artist with gift for music and a weakness for cocaine. His addiction proves to be the last straw for his on-again, off-again girlfriend. The breakup messes with his mind, while serious withdrawal messes with his body. The only way to win his ex-back is to, “produce a successful, danceable, infectious, eclectic debut EP.” With persistent cravings and nightmares of failure as constant companions, Ilya spends the summer trying to cut through the background noise and find his perfect mix.
The opening scenes paint Ilya as a rather pathetic, washed up addict. Despite the clichéd image, Ilya proves to have unexpected depth. As pieces of his past click into place, his decisions and motivations become relatable. The disappointment of failure and the elation from success are tangible to readers as Ilya comes to grips with his heritage, his heartbreak, and his future. The pages are peppered with Cyrillic and Russian words and cultural tidbits that add a strikingly traditional feel to an ultra-modern story. The lilting iterations of musical terminology coupled with moments of musical inspiration round out this interesting coming-of-age novel. Ivan Brave has managed to capture blistering heartache and raw beauty in this masterful symphony of literature.
