The Incredible Events in Women's Cell Number 3

by Kira Yarmysh, Arch Tait (Translation)

When Anya is arrested at a Moscow anti-corruption rally under false pretences, she is given a 10-day sentence at a detention centre. Her cellmates are five other ordinary women arrested on petty charges.
Ten listless days stretch before Anya and, as she appeals her sentence and recalls her progress from apolitical youth to informed citizen, she is troubled by strange, dreamlike visions, and wonders if her cellmates might somehow not be as ordinary as they seem.
A brilliant exploration of what it means to be marginalized both as an independent woman and in an increasingly intolerant Russia in particular, The Incredible Events in Women's Cell Number Three introduces one of the most urgent and gripping new voices in international literature.

Genres: Fiction, Russia, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Politics, Feminism, LGBT

384 pages, Hardcover

First published February 7, 2023

About the author

Кира Александровна Ярмыш was born in 1989 and has been Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s press secretary since 2014. She graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. In connection with her work for Navalny she has been arrested several times and spent a month in prison, and is currently living abroad in exile. The Incredible Events in Women’s Cell Number 3 is her debut novel.

Reviews

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kira Yarmysh's The Incredible Events in Women's Call Number Three, set in a Russian detention center, has received mixed reviews. One GR reviewer calls it "quite a page turner," while another reader noted that she had "hoped for so much more from this book." Me? I'm disappointed. With a mixed ensemble cast of characters the book has the potential to go in many interesting directions. Instead it focuses on main character Anya, who is serving a ten-day sentence resulting from a public protest. There are five other women in Cell Three with Anya, but readers never get to see inside their heads the way they do with Anya's.

The fact is, Anya is not a particularly interesting character. The novel bounces back and forth between events in the cell and Anya's mostly unspoken recounting of her own life—and that life is a weak center around which to build a book. Anya leans toward lesbian, though is not exclusively so, and we get detailed memories of her crushes, jealousies, lack of forethought, and manipulation. Her political awakening, which led to her arrest, receives far less attention, so it's hard to see much dignity in her. She comes across as a late-twenties disaffected and self-centered youth. The book has moments of a menacing magical realism, but they seem marginalized, as if the writer wanted to create something innovative, but kept getting distracted.

Promotional materials describe describe this novel as "A brilliant exploration of what it means to be marginalized both as an independent woman and in an increasingly intolerant Russia in particular, and a powerful prison story that renews a grand Russian tradition." I'm not expert in Russian literature, but I didn't feel as though I were reading a new milestone. I felt as if I was reading post-teen-angst-with-a-pinch-of-horror, which I don't find at all "grand."

Because I'm curious about contemporary Russian fiction I would read additional work by this writer, hoping for something that I found more resonant. I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher; the opinions are my own.

[Майя Ставитская · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the first successful implementation of the topic of non-traditional sexual orientation in modern Russian literature. Without tragedy, anguish, outrage. From the point of view of a completely normal person, what the heroine does not cease to be for a minute. Although to voice the story of the collapse of her hopes for work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (naked photos depicting girl kisses in a magazine), it is decided only after one of the cellmates calmly says that after release she will go to her girlfriend (and what, so it was possible?)

The first layer of the narrative is the present day, portraits and stories of cellmates, the routine of daily life. Reminiscences from Ani's childhood and early youth are the second layer of the book. And certainly, no one will draw conclusions based on them that the authorities are to blame. Did Putin make you get entangled in a relationship with your favorite boy and girl, who eventually choose each other, leaving you out of it? or did he pour tequila down your throat that miserable night? And what would you like after that, what kind of Foreign Ministry?

But there is a third layer. I think it's extraordinarily good. Sometimes it's really scary, real, to goosebumps on the back and the desire to look back when you read alone in the room. Sometimes you think: yes, I know, that's how they go crazy. And then: but somehow she knew about the scissors. And you remember the" Names "of Florensky, who says that "other worlds pass through Anna" - how accurately she guessed the name of the heroine.

Приди и спряди
Скок в яму, скок со дна, не сломай веретена. Крутись, крутись, прялица, пока не развалится.
Шекспир "Гамлет"
"Фу, про тюрьму!" - подумала, когда увидела у Галины Юзефович рекомендацию прочесть эту книгу. То было еще зимой и медузовскую рецензию тогда даже не стала читать, так, взглянула на первый абзац: "А, еще и про политику. Не, не мое". Понадобилось четыре месяца, чтобы все-таки решиться прочесть и:

1. Не про тюрьму. Спецприемник это место, где содержатся люди, приговоренные к административному аресту и куда гипотетически, при самом неприятном раскладе, можно угодить даже за переход улицы в неположенном месте. Ну или там, за неуплату штрафа;
2. Не про политику. То есть, героиню задержали на антикоррупционном митинге, но дальше про протесты будет примерно ничего, а имя Навального, с которым плотно ассоциируется Кира Ярмыш прозвучит минус один раз.

Чтобы два раза не вставать, специфических ужасов "прописки", зловонной дыры в полу, плесени по стенам, сорока человек, запертых в помещении, рассчитанном на десять и "ваше место у параши" - всего этого в книге не будет. Будет чистенькая камера после косметического ремонта, больше похожая на комнату в пионерлагере с двухъярусными кроватями. Товарки по несчастью все довольно молодые женщины, трое из шести задержаны за езду без водительского удостоверения, срок в основном десять суток.

Кормят нормально: завтрак каша с чаем (который лучше не пить, он из веника, но кипяток в пластиковой бутылке можно с собой взять, и после в камере заварить из пакетика); обед первое, второе, снова чай; ужин макароны с котлетой. Хотя случаются гастрономические изыски вроде квашеной капусты с макаронами. Ну а что бы вы хотели за сто тридцать шесть рублей? Именно на такую сумму съедает заключенный в сутки. Узнав, москвичка Аня переживает род культурного шока. Однако все сыты.

Что, практически ретрит? Нет, конечно, но выбирать не приходится, да и будет об этом. То есть, ты оказалась здесь по причине активной жизненной позиции, а вот эта алкашка с соседней койки - потому что не платит алиментов на дочь, которую бросила своей матери. Нет, не мама подала в суд, а государство. А моя продавщица отсидела десять суток за продажу коробки просроченных конфет, ну, то есть, формально за неуважение к суду, куда не являлась для назначения наказания. И я моталась каждый день с передачами на Сызрань, но то было еще в две тыщи первом.

То есть, неповоротливая, малоразборчивая и насквозь коррумпированная машина исполнения наказаний все же как-то вращается. Хотя трудно представить, что в той же камере оказалась бы дочь генерала МВД, но об этом ни прямо, ни косвенно не говорится в "Невероятных происшествиях...", потому и я не буду. А о чем говорится? А знаете, о многих интересных вещах.

Например о том, как девочка из очень простой семьи поступает в МГИМО. Ну, наверно потому, что умна, сама Кира сумела поступить, не будучи посольской дочерью, после триумфального участия в программе "Умники и умницы". О том, каково это, обнаружить вдруг, что склонна влюбляться в людей одного с тобой пола. И нет, это не становится твоей трагедией, хотя да, определенную неловкость и неудобство заставляет пережить-почувствовать.

Вообще, эта книга - первое в современной русской литературе удачное воплощение темы нетрадиционной сексуальной ориентации. Без трагедии, надрыва, эпатажа. С точки зрения совершенно нормального человека, каким героиня ни на минуту не перестает быть. Хотя озвучить историю крушения своих надежд на работу в МИДе (голые фотки, запечатлевшие нецеломудренные девичьи поцелуи в журнале), решается только после того, как одна из сокамерниц спокойно говорит, что после освобождения пойдет к своей девушке (а что, так можно было?)

Первый слой повествования день сегодняшний, портреты и истории сокамерниц, рутина ежедневного быта. Реминисценции из детства и ранней юности Ани - это второй слой книги. И уж точно, никто на их основании не сделает выводов, что виновата власть. Путин, что ли, заставлял тебя запутаться в отношениях с любимыми мальчиком и девочкой, которые в итоге выбирают друг друга, оставив тебя за бортом? или он заливал в горло текилу той несчастной ночью? И чего бы ты хотела после этого, какого МИДа?

Но есть и третий пласт. Мне кажется, он хорош необычайно. Местами это по-настоящему страшно, реально, до мурашков по спине и желания оглянуться, когда читаешь одна в комнате. Иногда думаешь: да, я знаю, так сходят с ума. А потом: но ведь откуда-то она узнала про эти ножницы. И вспоминаешь "Имена" Флоренского, который говорит, что "иные миры сквозят через Анну" - как точно она угадала с именем героини.

Вообще, эта тема переплетения нитей, она куда глубже в нас, чем алые сердечки позднеевропейской традиции. В наскальной живописи палеолита близких людей соединяют протянутые от одного к другому линии, в китайском традиционном театре по сей день связь обозначена красной лентой между двумя людьми.

Мне кажется удачей книги оставшийся открытым вопрос, двинулась ли Аня кукушечкой или обрела сверхспособность, и все происходящее стоит рассматривать как род инициации. В любом случае, женщин не стоит злить и без крайней необходимости ограничивать их свободу. Стоит помнить, что все переплетено.

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Увлекательно и необременительно. Отличный дебют: ладно, логично, с иронией и без морализаторства. Из минусов: обилие штампов и шероховатостей в языке, ощутимая избыточность в "продавливании" образов. Из плюсов: живые диалоги, добротная структура. Читать нужно, перечитывать нет.

[Lesereien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dafuq, the fuck, what the fuck: Schon der Titel von Jarmyschs Roman macht durch seine Unverfrorenheit und durch das Suggerieren von Zorn, Frust, Wut und Unverständnis auf sich aufmerksam. Hinzu kommt die interessante Biographie der Autorin. Jarmysch arbeitet als Sprecherin für den Oppositionspolitiker Alexey Nawalny und wurde noch im Januar 2021 festgenommen. Dass der Roman sich nicht scheuen wird, Kritik zu üben, dass er nichts beschönigen wird und wahrscheinlich auch provozieren wird, lässt sich schon anhand des Titels und des Lebenslaufs der Autorin ableiten.

Die Protagonistin des Romans ist Anja. Nachdem sie an einer unangemeldeten Demonstration gegen Korruption in Moskau teilgenommen hat, findet sie sich in Untersuchungshaft wieder. Obwohl sie nicht an der Organisation der Demonstration beteiligt war, wird sie festgehalten und schließlich zu einem zehntägigen Arrest verurteilt. Ihre Zelle in der Arrestanstalt teilt sie mit fünf anderen Frauen, die wegen Trunkenheit oder Fahren ohne Führerschein einsitzen.

“Heutzutage kann man überhaupt für alles in den Bau kommen.”

Es sind die Stimmen und Geschichten dieser sechs Frauen, die den Roman tragen. Auf engstem Raum prallen diese Lebenswelten der Frauen aufeinander und zeugen von der Vielschichtigkeit der heutigen russischen Gesellschaft. Da ist zum Beispiel die heruntergekommene Irka, die alkohol- und medikamentenabhängig ist und für ein Glas Alkohol mit Männern schläft. Maja hingegen ist jung und hübsch. Sie hat sich zahlreichen Schönheits-OPs unterzogen, achtet auf ihr Äußeres, lässt sich von ihren reichen Liebhabern teure Geschenke machen und ihren Lebenswandel bezahlen.

Anjas Geschichte legt die Autorin nur stückweise und in Rückblicken frei. Es ist eine Geschichte von der Sehnsucht nach Freiheit und Unabhängigkeit, von der Suche nach dem eigenen Platz in der Welt, von der Beziehung zu den Eltern, von Sexualität und schließlich auch von Politik und dem Wunsch nach Gerechtigkeit.

Jarmyschs Erzählstil ist klar und schnörkellos und sie scheut sich nicht davor, Anjas Aufenthalt in der Arrestanstalt im Detail zu beschreiben. Und trotzdem wirkt der Roman an keiner Stelle langatmig und verliert nie seinen roten Faden. Kritisch, ernst, humorvoll: All diese Töne vereint die Geschichte in sich. Sie erzählt von den Schicksalen der Frauen, vom Erwachsenwerden, von der Enttäuschung der jüngeren Generationen über die Regierung und schließlich legt er die Denkmuster und Lebensweisen, die sich durch die heutige russische Gesellschaft ziehen, frei.

Man kann diesen Roman verpassen, man sollte es aber nicht. Denn er überzeugt bis zum letzten Satz, hinterlässt einen bleibenden Eindruck und brennt sich mit seiner kraftvollen Geschichte und seinen unvergesslichen Figuren in das Gedächtnis des Lesers ein.

Das letzte Lob muss neben der großartigen Leistung des Übersetzers Olaf Kühl auch dem Rowohlt Verlag gelten, der das Buch in einer tollen Optik herausgebracht hat, die kaum besser mit der Geschichte harmonieren könnte.

[Mainlinebooker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading the blurb about this book, I was really excited as the author was Alexey Navalny's press secretary. I figured that she must have had an insightful gaze into the Moscow prisons. In addition, like the main character in the novel, she went to the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Her professional work with Navalny also led to numerous arrests and exposure to the corruption of the system.
In the novel, Anya is arrested and given a jail sentence of 10 days for participating in an unsanctioned government protest rally. In Cell Number 3, a desolate room with bunkbeds, she is exposed to 5 other cellmates who hail from all different levels of society and strata. The reader experiences their back stories as they operate like a dorm room, sharing tea, playing games, dwelling in gossip and political issues. Daily life is exposed and the inhumanity and absurdness of their arrests and subsequent struggles within the detention center become a major spotlight that floods across the pages. The book moves along as one by one they are released from their cell and Anya is the last person left.
I had hoped for so much more from this book. Anya has hallucinations while detained which seemed basically irrelevant to the story, making a minor minor point. If anything, I felt they detracted from the message the author was trying to convey. The characters, although very distinct from one another felt awkwardly inserted in the novel to score a point on diversity; however, they felt contrived and I wasn't able to engage with them. Flashbacks of Anya's sexual and work life didn't interest me at all and that constituted a large part of the book. Sigh! There was so much promise here-it is too bad that the punch never occurred.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

[Gregory Knyazev · Rating 4 out of 5]

В целом любопытный пример сверхактуальной беллетристики от человека, отменно владеющего материалом. Вряд ли станет классикой, но по горячим следам читается очень хорошо.

[Szeee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ez a könyv többszörösen átvert. Először a borítója, a fülszövege, aztán az eleje, majd a közepe és a vége is 😀 Van egy olyan gyanúm, hogy az írónő nem tudta eldönteni, hogy mit is szeretne pontosan. Társadalmi tablót a Putyin-érából, börtön chick-litet, esetleg fiataloknak szóló misztikus regényt. Aztán feltűntek még az elemek, amik biztosítani hivatottak a kor követelményeit: lmbtq, színes bőrű szereplő, sok szabad szerelem, poliamoria, alkohol és drog, mintha ezekkel a rendszerrel szembeni liberális életformát akarná jellemezni. Őszintén szólva haragudtam ezek miatt, annyira sablonosak és ha ezek lennének a szabad élet kellékei, akkor én tuti nem kérnék belőle. De nyilván nem ezek, úgyhogy csak nézek, hogy akkor ezek így miért, hogyan - egy Putyin-ellenzékitől, Navalnij szóvivőjétől. Jó, oké, különítsük el a politikai szereplőt az írótól, de vajon lehet-e...?

A szöveg gördülékeny, összességében szerettem olvasni és érdekelt, hogy a sok átverés után mi lesz ebből. Én keményebb és komoly könyvre, társadalomkritikusabb regényre számítottam, amiből egy csajos-lázadó-misztikus valami lett, hát ilyet még nem pipáltam, hogy ennyire benézzek vagy félreértsek egy regényt...😯


Van hová fejlődnie íróilag a hölgynek (ez még nagyon lektűrös iparosmunka), de tagadhatatlan, hogy rengeteg gondolat, téma és ötlet van a fejében, amiket ügyesen is kombinál.


Zavarba is hozott, még alszom egyet a csillagozásra...

[Valeriia Arnaud · Rating 3 out of 5]

много вопросов к Г. Юзефович, ну потому что это же, ну эт самое, просто хорошо написанное школьное сочинение

[The Curious Spoonie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sitting down to write a review of this book and I immediately find that I am confused about what to write. This shouldn’t really be surprising because I spent most of my time reading the book confused as well. That confusion stemmed from the fact that, although what I was reading was not uninteresting, I just couldn’t seem to grasp exactly what the author was trying to say with this story. It wasn’t until almost the very last page that I finally got some grasp of the point she was trying to make.

The publisher’s description describes the book as “a brilliant exploration of what it means to be marginalized both as an independent woman and in an increasingly intolerant Russia in particular”. This sentence combined with the Ms. Yarmysh’s involvement with the opposition in Russia and her subsequent exile had me expecting a story that would give me a stronger understanding of the how and why of anti-feminism in the Russian Federation. I was ready to hear how Russian politics and society had affected these women as they told me their tales of discrimination and oppression.

But instead, I found myself thinking more than once during my reading “How is this detention cell much different than a detention cell in any first-world country?” Yes, these women were certainly independent, and they obviously ended up confined because they did not fit the mold of what Russian society expected them to be. But very little if anything was said about their interactions with that unaccepting part of their society. As a reader I felt like I was supposed to assume that they were “marginalized” but was given very little to base this assumption on. Because of this it was hard for me to empathize with the characters. Maybe this is just an American thing and I am just too far removed from the setting. Possibly the average Russian reader would not have had this problem.

I also felt that the conclusion of the story almost came out of nowhere. The final explanation (or possible explanation) for the strange occurrences in cell three felt like it was just dumped on the reader in the last chapter with little to no prior hints or foreshadowing. And that fact – that it was completely unpredictable – made it feel frustrating and unsatisfying. Honestly, I liked the overall idea, but it really needed to be connected to the earlier ninety percent of the book to have the punch and poignancy that it needed.

But with the above being said there is still one point that must be made – I enjoyed reading this book. There wasn’t one time that I finished a page that I didn’t find myself interested in starting the next. Ms. Yarmysh has a nice pace to her writing style that makes you want to keep reading.

This story was almost completely set inside a single detention cell. Apart from a few books or magazines, a never-ending stream of cigarettes, and a very annoying radio mounted to the wall these women had nothing to occupy themselves. You would think such a situation would make for some pretty dull reading, but that was not the case. Somehow (and I’m still not quite sure how) the author made the pages fly by. The setting was portrayed well and I did feel like I had some understanding of what it would be like to go through a similar experience.

The translation by Arch Tait was solid enough. There were some words that seemed out of place and might not have been the best representation of what the author was referring to. There were a few times I had to go back and re-read a sentence to understand exactly what it meant. But then again, I certainly can’t speak Russian so who am I to judge?

Trigger Warnings – There are a couple references to rape and a few drunken sex scenes – one that bordered closely on rape. But these are short and not really explicit. There is a cutting scene that could be disturbing to some.

Overall, I am glad I read this book and it certainly had its good points. The story was enjoyable and the overall premise was sound. I just think with some detailed foreshadowing and more relatable characters it could have gone from good to great.

[Mina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im Kopf einer russischen Oppositionellen

Kira Jarmysch ist Sprecherin des russischen Oppositionellen Alexej Nawalny und hat mit "DAFUQ" nun ihr erstes Buch veröffentlicht. Die Protagonistin Anja weist unweigerlich Parallelen zu ihrer Schöpferin auf: Sie studierte im Moskauer Institut für Internationale Beziehungen und auch sie nahm an regierungskritischen Demonstrationen teil und wurde dabei festgenommen.

Von den 10 Tagen im Arrest nach einer Demo gegen Korruption handelt "DAFUQ", ein Kapitel für jeweils einen Tag. Jarmysch lässt uns ganz nah ran an den Alltag im Arrest, stellt uns verschiedene Zellengenossinnen vor, die alle ihre eigene Geschichte mitbringen und insgesamt ein aufschlussreiches Bild vermitteln über das heutige Russland und die Missstände in Justiz und Gesellschaft. Homosexualität, Alkoholsucht, Straflager und Prostitution spielen hier eine Rolle, während Anja auch ihr eigenes Leben in Rückblenden reflektiert und seit Tag 1 ihres Aufenthalts von schaurigen Halluzinationen geplagt wird.

Diese Gesellschaftsstudie auf kleinstem Raum - das meiste spielt sich in der Arrestzelle ab - hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Jarmysch bildet konträre politische Meinungen und persönliche Konflikte ab, sodass ich das Gefühl hatte, einen guten Einblick in die russische Gesellschaft zu bekommen. Die ein oder andere Thematik hätte ich mir etwas weiter ausgearbeitet gewünscht, so hatte ich den Eindruck, größtenteils an der Oberfläche zu schwimmen. Stattdessen hätten ab einem bestimmten Punkt Einzelheiten über den Gefängnisalltag und langwierige Rückblenden reduziert werden können. Andererseits leidet man dadurch auch ein bisschen mit Anja mit und fiebert der Entlassung entgegen, daher vielleicht sogar Absicht?

Zudem fand ich die insgesamt recht schnörkellose Ausdrucksweise teilweise zu gestelzt und realitätsfern. Hier hatte ich mehr authentische Sprache mit jugendlichem Biss erwartet in Einklang mit dem Romantitel. Ob dies an der Übersetzung liegt oder an der russischen Diktion, die ins Deutsche übertragen seltsam wirkt, kann ich leider nicht beurteilen. Aber Aussprüche wie "Ach wo", "Eh Mann, wozu so in Schale" oder "Das gereicht mir nicht zum Ruhm" wirken völlig aus der Zeit gefallen und sind eher cringe.

Trotzdem eine interessante Geschichte mit spannenden Einblicken in den Kopf einer russischen Oppositionellen, das mit gewissen mystischen Elementen noch mit einem aufregenden Ende überrascht hat.

[Gabriella · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stunning ending does NOT make up for this drag of a novel!!!! I have no idea what’s going on with book clubs in Durham/Chapel Hill—like why is everybody reading so much Russian magical realism? The Incredible Events in Women's Cell Number 3 was less migraine-inducing than A Door Behind A Door, and I won’t insult the author (Kira Yarmysh) by comparing her to Yelena Moskovich. However, I am still annoyed to have spent nearly 400 pages with a story that could’ve been told in 200.

I did appreciate the political content (the main character is arrested for participating in an anti-corruption protest, so there are CERTAINLY no similarities to our current world AT ALL.) Once we’re in the detention center, there’s this running joke about how feel people find protesting corruption to be laughable, despite being detained due to textbook cases of corruption. Yarmysh attempts to show the full range of political expression in this book, and even her camps have subcamps. You’ll find characters who are politically resigned because they believe it’s foolish to fight for change and risk persecution, and you have characters who are resigned because they feel like Putin’s rule is an improvement from the leadership of their parents’ generation. Putin’s supporters argue that the country’s modern protestors are just privileged people looking for a new hobby, but they also claim that their anti-corruption activism is part of the long history of Western interventionism, dating all the way back to the Bolsheviks. There are also Stalin supporters who support him not for any economic reasons, but because unlike Putin, he was an effective big man. All this stuff is mostly tongue-in-cheek, and I chuckled at seeing the Russian equivalent of podcast bros with their outlandish takes. On a more serious note, though, I did leave this book with a desire to read more about Russian history.

The setting is also well-done. Anya, Yarmysh’s protagonist, seems to have drawn most of her prior understanding of incarceration from American TV shows, and is startled to notice the differences. While Anya describes the detention center as “summer camp for dysfunctional adults”, she and her cellmates know that this mundane façade (better than expected food, worse than expected showers, detainees get to make calls with their own cell phones) is not the full picture. The specter of forced labor camps and more permanent detention looms large throughout this story, and you see each of the characters haunted by it. Speaking of ghosts, the flashback stories were entertaining, if a bit too plentiful. I wish we stayed a little bit more present with the women in cell number 3, who are constantly judging each other’s sexual and moral choices, and failing to note how their criticisms might also apply to their own actions. As the group’s only college grad, Anya seeks to make peace with her detention through dissociation from the “less fortunate”:

“…while a well-fed public in Moscow was discussing the permissibility of the word “slut,” in the rest of Russia women were being raped and murdered…[Anya] was at the top of a pyramid, where she was allowed to engage in educated discussion and concern herself with subtle issues of language…the pyramid rapidly broadened into a backward realm of horror where women had to fight for the right to retain their integrity, to remain undamaged and alive. Anya was conscious of this, but could not help feeling relieved that those were not the circumstances in which she found herself.

Stomping around on her peak for many years now, Anya had almost ceased to be afraid she might fall down the mountainside. Her family, the friends and acquaintances who surrounded Anya were a wall behind which she could feel safe and not imagine she might ever find herself in a less pleasant environment. The detention center was a reminder of how easily that could happen.” (304-5)

So yeah, I guess I’m ending this with a bit more appreciation for this book than I initially thought! I do want book clubs to stop putting me through all of these experiments, though!!! If this sounds of interest to you, or you’d like to hear from someone who appreciated the supernatural elements of this story, please check out Майя’s review. For smarter-than-mine snark about this book, I’d also recommend Sarah-Hope’s review.

P.S. a few content warnings for this: self-harm, sex work (and potential sex trafficking), sexual abuse, incarceration/detainment and carceral injustice, nightmares/hallucinations, and political repression.

[Michelle Curie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A flowing and vivid novel which was surprisingly gripping considering surprisingly little happens in it, allowing a peek into what a Russian detention centres look like.



The Incredible Events in Women's Cell Number 3 is the story of six women in a small cell in Moscow. Our protagonist is the 28-year old student Anja Romanova, who was arrested at an illegal protest against the government. Ten days she's supposed to serve time now and we follow her as she goes on about her repetitive days in which a shower proves to be a highlight.

Anja seems to have a lot in common with the author, which makes this feel ultra-contemporary and relevant to our time. Both born in 1989, they studied at the same University in Moscow and grew up under similar circumstances. Last but not least, they're both part of a blossoming protest movement, as Kira Jarmysch is primarily known as Alexei Navalny's spokesperson.

I personally was interested more in the political parts than the sexual coming-of-age bits. Anja's daily routines are sprinkled with flashbacks in which we learn more about her past and how she ended up being a woman at a protest in first place. We learn about her childhood as well as her life as a student and how her early days of political activism started as something rather mindless and just "fun to do". I enjoyed all these insights, while Anja, a bisexual who was at one point in a relationship with both another woman and man as some sort of love triangle, made me just feel less engaged. In fact, Anja isn't even the most interesting character in this whole thing –

The most pleasant parts were the conversation between the cellmates. The other five women Anja spends pretty much all of her active time in the novel with were all such intriguing and varied characters with such different backgrounds and ideas of the world that their conversations were often both amusing and interesting. There's Katja for example, a confident and foul-mouthed lesbian, who poses a stark contrast to Maja, who at one point goes on in lengths about her plastic surgeries and who likes to have men pay for her luxurious lifestyle.

All in all, this didn't feel like neither a deeply political nor socially analytical novel, but still poses a look onto contemporary Russia and the women who try to navigate their way through it.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieses Buch ist geprägt von Langeweile und Klaustrophobie, durchweg düster und absurd.
Und ich finde das wunderbar.
Denn so spiegelt jedes Wort der Autorin und jeder Tag von Anja Romanowa im Moskauer Gefängnis die Lebensrealität der Protagonistin und die vieler Frauen, die in Russland wegen Ordnungswidrigkeiten sitzen, wieder.
Kira Jarmysch, bekannt als Sprecherin des prominentesten Oppositionspolitikers Russlands Alexej Nawalny, wurde selber auch wegen des Aufrufs zu Demonstrationen festgenommen und schreibt nahe der eigenen Erfahrungen. Dennoch sind Anja und ihre Zellgenossinnen ganz eigene Individuen, deren Aufeinanderprallen und Repression diesem einzigartigen Porträt seinen Charakter verleihen.

[Annine · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the beginning I really enjoyed this, because it's very well written and I didn't mind that nothing much happens, but then the second part felt excruciatingly long

CW: police brutality, arrest, corruption, mentions of death, sexual assault,

[emmöbe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eher ne 3.5
Aber literally dafuq

[Freddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The major elements in this novel - the main character Anya's experience at the detention cell with other women, her personal backstory, and her supernatural visions - are oddly disparate and feel disjointed, especially that last fantastic part. Nonetheless, there's a strange "slice-of-life" lull that I felt when reading about Anya's account that some parts felt almost mindlessly readable (which was not necessarily a bad thing lol).

[Katrina Tobias · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5

girl she didn't even make it out of the cell by the end of the book ASHajkdhKSahd. i personally think that the plot was mediocre and the whole Fates thing was introduced way too late. anya's life before getting arrested was way more interesting than her time with the cellmates and i would have preferred reading about that more. all in all it was an okay book, had somewhat of a plot, but kinda boring i could not read it all in one sitting.

[Draugtaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Удивительное дело: во всех обзорах подчёркивается, что эта книга – совсем не то, чего можно бы было ожидать от этой автора и этой темы – не агитка, не политический манифест, не обличительная жалоба. Подчёркивается-подчёркивается, а поверить в это до конца не выходит, пока не возьмёшь книгу в руки. Но когда дочитаешь, приходится стыдливо присоединяться к тому же хору.
"Невероятные происшествия..." – очень мягкое и гибкое повествование, в котором красочные флешбеки дают заглянуть в обычную в общем-то жизнь, а монотонные "сутки" административного заключения оборачиваются совершенно невозможным финалом.
В остальном? Язык живой, персонажи правдоподобные, мысль не путается и не старается саму себя излишне усложнить. Очень надеюсь, что эта книга была не разовой акцией, и мы ещё увидим имя Киры Ярмыш на полках магазинов. Все задатки для успеха есть.

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jarmysch’s Roman hat mich für einige Tage völlig in seinen Bann gezogen. Das Erzähltalent der Autorin ist fabelhaft, kein einziges Mal kam Langeweile auf, trotz der, dem Arrestalltag entsprechenden, geringen Handlung. Durch Rückblicke erfährt man mehr über Anja, die Hauptprotagonistin, die zehn Tage in Moskau im Arrest sitzen muss, weil sie an einer regierungskritischen Demonstration teilgenommen hat. Ich fand Anja auf Anhieb sympathisch und konnte mich gut mit ihr identifizieren. Grundsätzlich sind alle Charaktere im Buch sehr eindringlich dargstellt und erscheinen richtig plastisch vor dem inneren Auge. Sprachlich mag ich das leicht gestelzte, das Übersetzungen aus dem Russischen oft an sich haben, ich finde es lässt dennoch viel Authentizität zu.
Für mich eines der besten Bücher der letzten Jahre.

[Anna Kravchuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Великая ли это литература? Нет. Стоит ли она внимания? Да.

Возможно, главная проблема этой книги в том, что в неё впихнуто слишком много всего. И нетривиальности отношений, и сложности с родителями, и формирование политических взглядов, и феминизм, и проблемы согласия, и тюрьма, и что только не.

Главный бонус -- отсутствие прямого чтения морали и совсем уж чёрно-белых персонажей.

Но.

Это -- книжка про сег��дня. Не отстраненная философия, не фэнтези, не вторая мировая, не советские репрессии, не вневременной любовный роман. Это попытка запечатлить ту реальность, которая есть сейчас, и это здорово само по себе. Как по мне, этих попыток сейчас очень не хватает.

[Simon Krasilnikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Прекрасная, чуткая, честная и проникновенная работа, вовлекающая в удивительную реальность современной российской действительности. Поражён тонкостью и прямоте восприятия обывателей. Прекрасно передано состояние сознания, пребывающего в новых условиях, пытающегося адаптрироваться посредством визуализации и переживания эзотерических образов. Здорово показаны индифферентность к происходящему одних обывателей и незатейливая находчивость других. Отлично подчеркнуто переживание внутренних этических противоречий между «правильностью» воспитания и «непристойностью», «скреп» и свободомыслия, человечностью и скотством. Спасибо, Кира!

[Vadim Goryunov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Интересная и необычная книга. Я сначала думал, что это полудокументальная книга и не рассчитывал найти художественную линию. Однако оказалось что в книге поднимаются довольно таки вечные (по крайней мере для России) вопросы и в хорошем классическом стиле предлагается читателю над ними подумать, не навязывая никакую точку зрения. Чем то напомнило На Дне Горького. В целом мне очень понравился и стиль изложения и мистическая нотка в конце. Несмотря на тематику, оставляет скорее позитивное впечатление и настроение.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book until it jumped the shark at the end.

[Mia ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

kinda hoped for more by it

[Ekaterina Isaeva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Прочитала эту книгу на волне интереса после «Харасмента». И вновь то же - не могла оторваться. Здесь к увлекательному сюжету добавляется интерес к обстановке и условиям - если московский офис представить себе вполне могла, то тюремную обстановку - уже вряд ли (надеюсь, так и останется)).

[Nata Rezunenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Жаль, что тюремная тема стала опять актуальной. Свежий взгляд из тюрьмы женщины. Печально..

Мои ожидания были про политику, а автор сосредоточилась на внутреннем мире с примесью мистики. Что может показаться интереснее широкому читателю )

[Jennifer Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is not a particularly long novel, it definitely leaves a powerful and unforgettable mark long after the reader has finished. Following a young Russian woman arrested and sentenced to a detention center, this is a remarkable and raw look at life in a totalitarian country. A must read for anyone interested in contemporary Russian stories.


Many thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Cynthia Lippstreu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never been in jail, but this book described it as I imagine it. It portrays the tedious and transitory experience of being in jail. I kept waiting for something noteworthy to happen, but it never did. I wish she had explained the supernatural element more thoroughly. Was it all imagination caused by stress and boredom? We're never told. It seemed added on to give the book some mystery.

[Marlene Leach · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted so much to like this and have tried but we are now 80% of the way through, the last girl was released so it's just Anya in the cell, and she is not a reliable or sympathetic narrator. As we learn more about her past, she reveals that she is contrary just for the sake of being so and very mentally and emotionally disturbed. Also, the prison itself... I was in jail in New Mexico for 5 days and spent 4 of those days in isolation with only a drain on the floor to piss in, a mattress and a blanket. These people have candy, smokes, their own clothes and get their own phones for fifteen minutes every night to get online and check email, social media, twitter etc, lol. My takeaway right now is that while jail is never fun, if I had to go back I'd be better off in Russia than America. The jail sounds a lot nicer and more enjoyable than the one I was in!

Well, I finally finished it. That was a long journey that led nowhere unfortunately.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been letting this story marinate in my mind for two weeks, because it's that good, that original, that aware. Anya is a woman who identifies as lesbian, but she is not out in every setting, including the one where her body and mind are in this novel. She is a young Russian woman beginning a sentence for ten days' detention. She attended a protest and when it was broken up, others got released and Anya did not. She walks into a large cell full of bunks, radio running all day long with music she hates and she meets her cellmates in Women's Cell Number 3. Anya is very bright, college educated, with a wealthy father who is divorced from her mother. He is only intermittently involved with Anya. Her relationship with her mother is decent but complicated.

To set the stage for what it means to be in a Russian detention center we quickly learn that three of Anya's cellmates are in for driving without a license. One for not paying alimony. One for swearing at a cop. So, there are five of them and Anya makes six. For much of her stay, she interacts with and observes them. She has long periods when she thinks about pieces of her life, her closest friends, her crushes, her college experiences, her mistakes. Some memories are funny. Many are unusual. Most reflect the childhood and college years of a young girl struggling somewhat with her identity and how to "be" in the world. The monotony of being in jail for ten days and the need for the small comforts of an occasional hot shower and phone time each day are palpable. The fact that on some shifts, the staff is at least decent and on others they are authoritarian and unhelpful becomes part of the emotional layers this book just adds on steadily.

Partway through her sentence, Anya goes what we might call stir crazy, beginning to have visions or hallucinations that might be dreams, but take up her thoughts for periods of time. Mostly, she eats the food which, while salty is better than she thought it would be and reads and just…. experiences all of this. Yarmysh is fully inside both Anya's head and creates for her characters in Women's Cell Number 3 unlike any Anya has met before. She is not "out" with them. One of her cellmates is lesbian. One seems mentally ill. One is very obviously obsessed with herself, spoiled. One has served hard time in the past. Tea is made from water kept in a hot water bottle. Everyone seems to smoke. Anya quit awhile ago. There's a window that can be opened to the yard.

Time creeps along, as Anya learns pieces of information about each of her cellmates. Their stories both invade her thoughts and are apart from her. She is as alone as can be even though the six women are together through most of this book. This is a totally engrossing, oddly fast paced novel with a complex, interesting character in Anya. I personally like her a lot and root for her. But she's made mistakes and done some unlikeable things. She has also been at times a victim of someone else's highly unlikeable behavior. She examines these past moments/periods as dispassionately as she considers her cellmates. She copes, except when intrusive thoughts come. It is not normal to be in jail. It is something you adjust to and live through. And this is only ten days, but Yarmysh paints for us an engrossing personal experience. Everything is shared through Anya's perspective and it is all fascinating. You end up wanting to know what happens next with every single person, even if Anya doesn't want to know more than what she has learned. The writing is original and very visual because it's all written in third person omniscient. Ten days in Women's Cell Number 3. It's well worth spending the time to read this hard, yet lyrical book. Highly recommend.