What a delightful magical book. I've been rapt from the opening, the story about the needle inside the child with the jar filled with lipsticks who could not determine the difference between 50% .50 or 1/2 or rather could not decipher the likeness between all halves. Brilliant.

"Mitya felt a renewed longing for him, the need to find out, to resolve it, to run after. But then he felt the heaviness of all his losses and realized that some moments were precious just because they existed, even if you could never latch on to them, or reproduce them.”
it took me a really long time to get through this one, especially at the beginning, but I'm glad I did. What starts as a childlike fairytale type story gets more enjoyable as it becomes more lived-in, and in my opinion, I loved the ending. There aren't many books I feel this way about, that could be stronger to start but become lovable. I think that will stay with me.

I approached this book many times and in many moods but I just couldn’t get myself to believe in it. The child’s perspective in the beginning felt forced and the related experiences weren’t unique enough to grab my interest. Some parts felt rushed and others languished a little too long. I couldn’t get my reading brain to cooperate.

A fresh, new take on coming-of-age - Little Foxes too up Matches is a beautiful rumination on growing up with your country. I really enjoyed the use of fairytale to parallel some of Mitya's life experience and I think Kazbek is a special talent. This, at times, difficult novel will sit with me for quite some time.

This is probably one of the most underrated books of the year. This coming-of-age (though more adult in lens) has the writing of many award-recognized literary authors. I actually put this book aside for a little while in an attempt to savor what was becoming a speed read because I enjoyed it so much. The very clear feedback loop with which Katya presented societal and political pressures by way of fairy tale was truly epic. Pick this up!

This book was extremely confusing. The premise of this story sounded so intriguing and unique, but the overall reading experience left me dumbfounded. I just understand what the point of this novel was? It's part fairytale, part surrealism. I just couldn't get into the story or main character. The story just dragged and dragged some more. Very disappointed.

Unfortunately, the ARC was in a PDF format that couldn't be bookmarked and didn't offer accessibility options, so I wasn't able to read it on my NetGalley app. I look forward to checking out this title once our library purchases it in e-book format!

📚 Little Foxes Took Up Matches by Katya Kazbek 📚

Thank you so much @tin_house for the ARC.

This is a rare one, my friends. The voice of Mitya is so sweet, strong, and sad at the same time. I loved his perspective throughout the book and was blown away by his resiliency and fearlessness at times.

Mitya is a boy growing up just after the fall of the Soviet Union, and we see how history shapes his family as well as his personal journey understanding who he is - mostly from ages 9-12. He questions gender, love, family, and loyalty.

While Mitya is relatively fearless, I was scared for him throughout the book. He is set on solving the mystery of his friend's murder - Valerka, a kind homeless man who accepted Mitya as who he was without any question. Through this journey, Mitya meets many more interesting and sad characters as he investigates and tries to make sense of what happened. Through it all his friendship with Marina, a young woman from Ukraine, holds fast as she also accepts him immediately and also tries to protect him.

The fairy tale of Koschei the Deathless is interwoven through the story and has some parallels with Mitya's story, and was interesting to read as someone who had never heard that fairy tale before.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the storyline of the novel, but I feel some of the tale may have been lost in its translation.

Little Foxes Took Up Matches follow Mitya, a young boy growing up in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Mitya doesn’t fit with his culture’s construction of masculinity; he’s delicate and pretty rather than strong and tough, and sometimes, when he is alone in the apartment, he likes to put on make up and dress as a girl. After the death of a homeless man he befriended, Mitya begins to explore Moscow and meet people who have been affected by the war in various ways. This book is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Kazbek’s writing is lovely and fairy tale-esque, and Mitya is such a wonderfully drawn character. I loved watching him figure out the world around him and himself. But this was also quite hard to read at times. It heavily features the physical and sexual abuse of a child, so be aware of that when picking up the book

Interwoven with Mitya’s story is a reimagining of Koschei the Deathless, a figure from Russian folklore. Koschei is the antagonist of many fairy tales, generally kidnapping the hero’s love interest. From the beginning of the story, Mitya feels a connection with Koschei, whose soul is hidden inside a needle. When Mitya is a toddler, he swallows a sewing needle his grandmother dropped. While his family is convinced it will kill him eventually, Mitya believes it provides him guidance and protection. Kazbek reimagines Koschei as a genderqueer character who is rejected by his family for dressing as a woman. While I’m familiar with Koschei the Deathless, I’m not well-versed in Russian fairy tales, so I’m sure there’s quite a bit I missed in this section. I want to return to the book after reading up more on the subject. But even without much knowledge, these parts of the book were enjoyable, and it was interesting to see the parallels between Koschei’s story and Mitya’s.

My only complaint with the book was that there are some odd point of view switches. The whole book is told in the third person, and it is mainly limited to Mitya’s perspective. However, sometimes Kazbek would wander into another character’s head for just a few sentences. It happened frequently enough that I noticed it but not frequently enough for me to consider the book told from third person omniscient. It’s a very minor issue with the book, and I probably only noticed it because I’m sensitive to point of view switches. It certainly doesn’t affect the beauty of the book in anyway.

Overall, Little Foxes Took Up Matches is a stunning coming-of-age novel that blends fairy tale and reality to explore gender identity. It’s absolutely beautiful, and I highly recommend it.

𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲, 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐊𝐨𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐢. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐞𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐭𝐲𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.
This story is a fable and a queer coming of age in post-Soviet Russia. It begins with a skinny boy named Mitya, who likes to put on lipstick and dress up like a girl. It is a dangerous act, considering his father, Dmitriy Fyodorovich, is ashamed of his sensitive, delicate son and being a Afghan War veteran, he’d as soon beat the boy and see him disciplined, strong, a man’s man. The delicate boy already makes him uncomfortable and if he knew about his deviant behavior, there would be hell to pay. Every keepsake Dmitriy holds on to are all connected to his time in the army. His mother, Yelena, is the daughter of a distinguished space scientist and a graduate of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. A woman who feels above any mother on the playground, whom often make fun of her weak son. Both parents work at the Rubin factory, his father making televisions, and his mother a bookkeeper, until his dad is laid off. His Babushka, Alyssa Vitalyevna, hates Mitya’s father but they all live together in a Moscow apartment, on the Old Arbat. One day, while under her care, Mitya swallowed a sewing needle. Nothing being found on the X-rays, he is sent home, but from that day on his Babushka is sure he is doomed, that the needle is somewhere in his body or bloodstream (despite science) making him a ‘ticking time bomb’. As he grows up, Mitya discovers a fairytale about the Koschei and believes that the needle is a shield, his blessing. Considering the young child feels no ill effects from the object, it only follows that it signals him out as special. He is an intelligent (reading by the age of four), curious, tender boy. He isn’t sure what he is, boy or girl, something else. He is not the son his father hoped for, a boy who should be immune to tears and play with toy guns and enjoy sports. His grandmother loves all things bohemian and feeds the artist in her grandson, with caution, of course.

When his father beats him, upon discovering his secret dress up one day, Mitya is left feeling small and insignificant and he learns to hide who he is even more. Sadly, it seems his life is under a hellish cloud when his cousin, Vovka, a wounded vet, moves in with them. The needle doesn’t seem like much of a shield then. Dmitriy feels he owes it to his brother, who died in the war before Mitya was born, to help his nephew. Vovka is damaged, haunted in his sleep, severely burned, missing his right arm. There is a camaraderie between these army men, excusing all sorts of warnings. He shares Mitya’s bed in the small home, Mitya’s solitude and privacy is gone, here is just another man in the house who hates ‘sissies’. Torment and vile abuses begin, the only joy and light left in Mitya’s life is when he makes friends with a homeless man named Valerka. Valerka doesn’t care about what he wears, how he looks, or how he defines himself. Valerka tends to crows during the day, his ‘ladies’. He believes in ‘treating all of god’s creatures kindly’, and soon the boy is boding with the winged creatures. Times are viscous, terrible things happen, people disappear, and when Valerka goes missing, what he learns devastates him. It is the catalyst that forces Mitya on a path to discovering himself, in trying to find out what happened to his dear friend. Parallel worlds exist, dangerous places, and Mitya will meet young people like himself, who have run away from terrible situations, so bad that the threat of the streets is preferable. Homeless boys, crimes, the darker side of his country, corruption. It is about Russia, it’s culture and history, the aftermath of the Soviet collapse, the underbelly that hides all sorts of criminal activity, myths, folktales, gender identity, and sexuality. Much time is spent with Mitya’s conflicted emotions, about his body and his desires and the ache to be accepted by his family, who of course he loves. While hoping to beat his ‘deviance’ out of his own son, Dmitriy fails to see the true deviant in their midst- Vovka. All Mitya wants is love, understanding. When it first begins and he is young, he is made to feel ashamed when he doesn’t yet know who he is or why the way he is angers his father, it’s heartbreaking. It is an awakening, as his innocence drops away and in journeying beyond his boundaries, he may just discover what he wants out of life, for himself.

Whatever your feelings are about gender identity, this was an interesting, engaging tale about Russia, with a fairytale theme. It’s one of the hardest things to stomach, a child (of any age) being abused. What do you do when your natural state is a thing to be shamed, shunned? Where the one place where you should be supported, protected, fails you? There is a lot to unpack and this would definitely open discussion for any reading group. It was an interesting book to be reading with current world events.

Publication Date: April 5, 2022

Tin House

Little Foxes Took Up Matches is a sometimes dark, sometimes sweet coming-of-age tale.

Mitya was just two when he swallowed his grandmother’s sewing needle. His family believes that it will eventually harm him irreparably. But Mitya thinks it will keep him safe.

Mitya is too young to remember what his country was like before the Soviet Union collapsed. His family often misses the Soviet Union, stating that they were better times for their family. But Mitya couldn’t say for sure because his world is limited to his family’s apartment in the middle of Moscow. As he grows older, he begins to dabble in his mother’s cosmetics when no one is around and explores his own gender identity.

After suffering horrific abuse from his older cousin, Mitya decides to see more of the outside world. He befriends an unhoused man who has ravens as his constant companions. He wanders underground Moscow and sees the brutal effects that war has had on its citizens.

He endeavours to make sense of everything and find his place in a country trying to rebuild itself while still dealing with corruption and violence.

This is a beautiful but grim story that I took my time reading. It was also a bit odd reading this, given the current situation.

Mitya is a character that will stick with this reader for sometime to come. Also, can we have a moment for that stunning cover?

CW: child sexual and physical abuse.

Thank you to Tin House for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

This queer, coming-of-age story, set in Russia shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, is a triumphant debut that combines my favourite elements of literary fiction into a seamless and engaging narrative.

Our young protagonist, Mitya, offers the reader an endearing and unique snapshot of this crucial period in Russian history, giving the story an almost fable-like quality. We quickly become attuned to the intricacies of his family life, parts of it disturbingly dark, and of the delight taken by Mitya in dressing as his female alter-ego, Devchonka. Fearful of rejection, he explores his gender identity in secret until a burgeoning friendship with a homeless man, Valerka, sets in motion a journey for truth, justice and ultimately, self-discovery.

Mitya’s narrative is interspersed with that of Koshei the Deathless, an antagonist of Russian folklore who keeps his soul safely hidden within a needle. As a baby, Mitya himself swallows his grandmother’s sewing needle, later believing that its presence offers him protection. I enjoyed these subtle additions of magical realism, a welcome contrast to the drab backdrop of political upheaval, economic strife and boundless state corruption. It is a happy coincidence that shortly before this book, I read Masha Gessan’s ’The Future Is History’ which provided useful background to the events adhered to by Mitya in ‘Little Foxes’. As his is a child’s perspective, with only a passing mention to such details, I believe that prior knowledge of the history enhanced my reading experience, though I certainly wouldn’t say it was necessary.

Multi-layered in its content, Kazbek captures a tangible sense of time and place in a book that is also populated by believable characters, themselves a myriad of complexities. From Mitya’s formidable babushka, to a cousin psychologically plagued by the Chechen war, to the troubled yet kindhearted Marina, every one was fully formed. In the reading of this book, I also recognized several parallels to another brilliant coming-of-age novel, 'Shuggie Bain’, in both tone and content. Kazbek’s style however, is all her own and I cannot wait to see what she writes next. This is the type of book that will take root in your mind and occupy your thoughts for some time after.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tin House for approving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This review was also posted on Instagram under @victoriasliterarythings

Great read! Though this is not my typical coming-of-age book, I started it and could not put it down. A captivating LGBTQ+ story that definitely deserves a lot of attention!

My thanks to Netgalley and Tin House for the advanced copy.

Absolutely batshit crazy in its genius. Mitya is maybe my favourite protagonist I've ever read from the perspective from. A beautiful look on what it is to be gay, to belong, to be a queen, to be intertwined with a fairytale. I adored every second I spent with this book and I cannot wait to reread it again. Kazbek's writing is so stable and masterful while she weaves around glorious prose and story. There was no point in this novel that was not perfect.

I don't have the words to express how thoroughly I adored this book. It's the perfect combination of a coming-of-age journey of self-discovery, an exploration in gender and sexuality, a walk along the streets of Moscow, and a snapshot of a specific time in Russian history. I loved the storytelling and the folklore woven into it. Mitya is young and sweet and searching for the people with whom he belongs and this book is a sometimes heartbreaking absolute delight.

Thank you so much to Tin House and Netgalley for the great opportunity to read it.

"Little Foxes Took Up Matches" by Katya Kazbek is definitely one of the most unusual coming-of-age stories I have ever read. It was interesting and unique and I absolutely devoured it! Interspersed with the Russian Fairy Tale, Mitya's story is charming and captivating. The writing is excellent and I enjoyed the representation of the LBGTQ community and the acceptance of many of the characters of Mitya's unconventionalities. Throw in some family dynamics and a little Russian history and you've got one great book!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this incredible book, in exchange for my honest review.

Little Foxes Took Up Matches is a poetic, enchanting novel about Mitya - a young boy living in Moscow after the collapse of the Soviet Union. When Mitya was a toddler, he swallowed his grandmother’s needle, and ever since then, he believed that the needle was guiding and protecting him. But as he grows up and starts to discover more about himself and the society he lives in, he has to find the bravery to embark on a journey to find a place where he can belong.

Interwoven with Mitya’s story is also a retelling featuring a character from Russian folklore - Koschei the Deathless. The fable part of the book adds a dreamlike, fairytale layer to the story, but personally I enjoyed following Mitya’s adventures more. His inner voice was what made Little Foxes Took Up Matches into a unique, a bit surrealistic novel about queerness, growing up, and becoming true to oneself. I was more captivated by this novel than I expected - Russian literature in my mind is forever linked with Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, and while Kazbek’s writing definitely has this distinctive Slavic ‘vibe’, it’s much more tender and relatable. I absolutely loved the characters that she created, especially Mitya and Marina, who becomes his best friend. I only wish that the ending was a bit more solid: it felt abrupt and I would love to see more closure.

TLDR: Little Foxes Took Up Matches is a beautifully written coming of age story set in 90s Moscow, that focuses on queerness and family bonds.

Little Foxes Took Up Matches by Katya Kazbek

⭐️⭐️⭐️

* Thank you to @netgalley and @tinhouse for providing a digital copy of Little Foxes Took Up Matches in exchange of a honest review.


I enjoyed reading Little Foxes Took Up Matches since the format is something that I don't read a lot. It is a mix of Koschei The Desthless, a Russian fairytale, and the main story of Mitya.
It was a bit difficult to follow the 2 stories, and to keep up with the russian language that is often present. The story is very caracter driven, which can be a little slow sometimes.
I really liked the friendships that Mitya develloped throughout the book.

This book, a break from my usual thriller or historical fiction read, was engaging and at times terribly honest. Little Foxes Took Up Matches is a woven journey of a coming-of-age story mixed with life-changing sexual encounters, Russian myths, and the resilience of the main character who is often funny in the face of less-than-ideal circumstances. The post-soviet Russia’s paradoxes and settings were interesting, with an overriding theme on how to fit into a changing society that’s maybe not quite ready for Mitya as he realizes his secret need to be female, at all costs.
Charming and disturbing, this debut is worth the time. Thanks to Tin House @tin_house and NetGalley @netgalley for letting me read a digital ARC of this book.