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Neverafter
Set against the dual backdrops of Moscow’s modern melancholy and the harrowing reality of the 2020 Artsakh War, Neverafter is a sweeping and tender novel about grief, resilience, and the search for meaning in the wake of loss. Armen, a widowed football star with a turbulent past, crosses paths with Arina, a woman navigating her own silence and sorrow. Their chance meeting in a rain-drenched Moscow traffic jam sparks an unexpected connection—one that leads to laughter, healing, and the possibility of love amid despair. But when Armen is called to Armenia to fight in a war that awakens his buried roots, both are forced to confront their choices and the weight of history.
Interwoven with moments of quiet humanity, childhood memory, and the echoes of fairy tales, Never After is a story of how lives intersect at moments of fracture—and how in a broken world, the smallest gestures of connection can hold everything together.
But the novel’s second part shifts course when Armen is offered the chance to join the Armenian national team, he is confronted with the story of his own birth, buried in the ruins of the 1988 Spitak earthquake. As the 2020 Artsakh war erupts, he leaves behind Moscow’s comforts to take part in the battle—not only for a nation, but for his own sense of belonging. The call to return—both to Armenia and to a sense of self—becomes impossible to ignore. Alongside this journey stands Raul, Armen’s old friend from Baku, an Azerbaijani who once helped him recover from professional disgrace. Their friendship—spanning nations divided by war—adds a layer of painful complexity, reminding us that personal loyalties often defy political boundaries.
Deeply humane, lyrical, and quietly epic, Never After is a novel about the collision of past and present, love and duty, and the haunting question of whether we ever truly leave behind․
Interwoven with moments of quiet humanity, childhood memory, and the echoes of fairy tales, Never After is a story of how lives intersect at moments of fracture—and how in a broken world, the smallest gestures of connection can hold everything together.
But the novel’s second part shifts course when Armen is offered the chance to join the Armenian national team, he is confronted with the story of his own birth, buried in the ruins of the 1988 Spitak earthquake. As the 2020 Artsakh war erupts, he leaves behind Moscow’s comforts to take part in the battle—not only for a nation, but for his own sense of belonging. The call to return—both to Armenia and to a sense of self—becomes impossible to ignore. Alongside this journey stands Raul, Armen’s old friend from Baku, an Azerbaijani who once helped him recover from professional disgrace. Their friendship—spanning nations divided by war—adds a layer of painful complexity, reminding us that personal loyalties often defy political boundaries.
Deeply humane, lyrical, and quietly epic, Never After is a novel about the collision of past and present, love and duty, and the haunting question of whether we ever truly leave behind․
179 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2025
About the author
Mark Aren
11 books116 followersՄարկ Արեն (իրական անունը Կարեն Մարգարյան) արդի հայ արձակագիր։ Բնակվում է Մոսկվայում և մասնագիտությամբ տնտեսագետ է։ Առաջին վեպը՝ «Ռեքվիեմ Հուդայի», լույս է տեսել ռուսերեն 2006 թ.։ «Այնտեղ, որտեղ ծաղկում են վայրի վարդեր. անատոլիական պատմություն»-ը նրա երկրորդ վեպն է, որը հրատարակվել է հայերեն և ռուսերեն 2008 թ.։
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