Lost Believers by Irina Zhorov is a tale of two women, at the same period of time separated by literal time and space. Galina is a geologist heading to Siberia to check for minerals for Russia to mine. She with a young pilot, Snow Crane, should be the only people in this remote part of the world but they what they find is unbelievable. They find a family on a farm, who ran away from religious persecution they found in Russia. They have been here for decades, living off the land and Galina threatens their world. Agathia, is the daughter of this family and she and Galina become friends. They are amazed by each other. How can they not be permanently changed by their chance meeting? How can they come to terms with the fact that their futures aren’t guaranteed? Or for that matter, that they don’t need to change them? If Galina goes back to the Soviet Union and tells the truth about the land, Agathia’s family will be upturned. But if she goes back and says nothing is there, her career will be ruined. Definitely a difficult decision to make.. It seems like either choice is impossible. The author is a wonderful writer but this type of writing is so slow for me. I tend to like a much faster paced book. Nevertheless I did think it was an interesting topic and I did finish it.. so there is something there. I want to thank Netgalley and the author for my copy for an honest review. It is always a pleasure to read and review books of all types. What are your thoughts?

This novel follows Galina, a geologist in Soviet Russia, who discovers an isolated settlement in the wilds of Siberia while canvassing the area in order to build a mine. She first glimpses the home from air, and then hikes with another geologist, known as Snow Crane, to see who lives there. They develop a friendship with the family who resides there, especially the daughter, Agafia. The family are lost believers, who follow an old version of Christianity that is no longer widely practiced in Russia.

The story goes on from this initial meeting, and follows Galina as she returns to the city and struggles with her dueling desires to succeed at her job, and to protect Agafia and the untouched landscape from Soviet industrial expansion.

I was charmed by the initial story of discovery. Seeing Agafia and her family come out of their shells and warm to strangers and be introduced to new technologies was fascinating. Much of the first half of the book focuses on Agafia’s faith, and the way the sublime was conjured through nature was beautiful.

However, once the story leaves the mountains and tundra, it lost most of its charm for me. I can see the meaning of the contrast in writing—the death industry would bring to the pure environment Agafia lives in—but that didn’t make the story itself any more engaging. I missed Agafia’s presence on the page, and Galina’s story felt uninspired and aimless. By the end, I wasn’t sure what the point was—it all felt rather futile. But one plus in the second half was that we got to hear more of Snow Crane’s story, which I relished.

This novel was a bit of a mixed bag, and maybe tried to accomplish too much. If you’re interested in Soviet history, nature writing, or environmentalism, this could be worth a read.

A slow paced story set in the 1970s about an interaction between two women living very different and very challenging lives in the Soviet Union. The sense of depression of living during that time in that area of the world was delivered well but the story moved along very slowly.

This is a hard one to review. I enjoyed it for the most part, but I don't know who I would recommend it to. The setting and characters are vivid and engaging.

This author has a beautiful, poetic way of writing, just like Marat. The aching devestation, the experience of being human was told in an intriguing way. I wanted a little more closure at the ending but understand why the author left some things open

Tons of potential for a great book about an event I am really curious about, but the story got bogged down in dense writing. Let me clarify: the writing was beautiful - lyrical, poetic, descriptive - but crossed over the line to telling more than showing.

Special thanks to Scribner Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

The premise of this book intrigued me but quickly fell very flat in the storytelling.
I think the audience for this book are readers who are drawn to history of Society era Russia. I am not, however, the lives of Galina and Agafia, mostly following Agafia.

This book was just not for me, I found myself skimming and bored.

Irina Zhorov’s The Lost Believers transports readers into the world of a family of Old Believers, whose ancestors refused Russian church reforms centuries earlier. With a schism in the church, the traditionalists, who came to be called the Old Believers, faced persecution. Determined to survive and retain their old ways, the Kol family—parents Hugo and Nadia, son Dima, and daughter Natalia--set out in the summer of 1934, determined to find a legendary utopia, but settling instead in an uninhabited part of the Siberian taiga where daughter Agafia was born and mother Nadia died. Living four decades in complete isolation, the father, son, and two daughters know nothing of modernization taking place since the 1930s.

Alternating with short sections focused on the Kol family are similarly short sections focused on a geologist named Galina and her helicopter pilot, Snow Crane. Galina has been assigned to head a team whose mission is to create detailed maps of iron deposits in the area and determine if they justify sending in heavy equipment and explosives to blast away the mountains, making the iron ore accessible. Flying over what they think is uninhabited land, Galina and Snow Crane spot a garden and establish contact with the unexpected residents.
Little does Galina expect to discover people with no knowledge of the present and surviving with almost nothing. Never has Agafia met anyone outside her immediate family.

What happens as the Old Believers meet the modern world of geological exploration and land exploitation? How will the two central characters Agafia and Galina, representing two worlds, interact and affect one another? What will be the outcome of the geological team’s exploration and evaluation?

Educated as a geologist first and then a writer, Zhorov leaves readers better educated about geology while artfully telling a story of old versus new ways, of natural world versus commercial profit.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an advance reader copy. I will look forward to more from Irina Zhorov.

4.5 rounded up

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All of the plots in Irina Zhorov’s affecting novel, Lost Believers, tell stories of faith and disillusionment. Faith demands a lot of us. For Agafia, faith means shunning the outside world and keeping the traditions of the Old Believers on her family’s homestead in a remote pocket of Siberia. For Galina, it means following the dictates of the Soviet Union by locating metal deposits for mining. Over the course of the novel, Agafia, Galina, and others will face crises that require them to confront the costs of their actions and question whether that cost is worth the consequences.

In the early 1970s, Galina and Agafia meet by pure happenstance. Galina is doing fieldwork in Siberia, mapping the borders of an iron deposit, when her helicopter flies over a ramshackle cabin deep in the forest. Curiosity drives her to make contact. We already know Agafia and her family, as well as how they came to be in the Siberian taiga. (We don’t learn the family’s surname but I strongly suspect that the Old Believer family is based on the Lykovs.) Sometime in the 1930s, Agafia’s parents and older siblings fled Soviet repression by traveling east into the taiga with the vague hope of finding other Old Believers to take refuge with. They never did. Instead, they eke out a living on what they can grow or catch. It’s a collision of worlds when Agafia and Galina meet. It’s almost as if they traveled through time to meet each other: Agafia from the past and Galina from the future (as far as Agafia is concerned).

Over the course of a short Siberian summer, the women learn more about each other and establish a kind of friendship. Agafia and her family sometimes reject gifts from Galina as “worldly” (forbidden) and absolutely refuse to leave their homestead. Agafia’s steadfastness contrasts with Galina’s growing unease with the environmental damage caused by Soviet mining and industry. Before long, Galina starts to question everything about her life as a cog in the Communist system. A visit to a city only called M. (which I suspect is Magnitogorsk, one of the most polluted places on the planet) cements Galina’s total disillusionment. The world’s impact on Agafia is less earth-shattering. After visits from Galina and a trapper who overwinters with Agafia’s family, Agafia finds the courage to travel down the river in search of other Old Believers.

As Galina and Agafia’s stories build to their crescendos, we witness the struggles of other characters to find their way after loss or betrayal. Galina’s lover, the pilot who flew her team’s helicopter, fights to stay out of the clutches of the Soviet State after he was bullied in the army and had to desert. The fur trapper who visited the family is running from the loss of his wife and child. An American in M. rails against the stubborn inaction of the Soviet Union in the face of devastating environmental damage. Not all of these stories have happy endings but all of them are nuanced portraits of soul-deep struggle.

Lost Believers is an unsettling book. Many of us (hopefully) will never be caught between these kinds of rocks and hard places. That said, I found it the be a powerful call to question our own unexamined beliefs. What is truly important to us? Why is it important? What are the costs of our actions, however justified we think they are? What have we been blind to? Can we admit that we might have been wrong? Do we have the strength to change if we decide to go a different way? Lost Believers is a quiet, profound journey of reflection.

Lost Believers is a novel inspired by true events, unfolding in 1970s Soviet Russia, where two women's lives intersect and take unexpected turns. Galina, a young geologist from Moscow, falls in love with her pilot, Snow Crane, during a mineral exploration trip in Siberia. Their discovery of a family living in isolation sets the stage for a life-changing meeting with Agafia, born into a family of Old Believers. As a friendship develops, the two women confront conflicting futures shaped by their backgrounds and the unforgiving forces of Soviet politics. The story delves into fate, ambition, and the impact of choices made in a turbulent era.

Zhorov sets the stage with ease, no doubt aided by her career in journalism. Allowing the introduction of the two characters to unfold, she takes her time and inserts flashbacks to prepare the reader for the gravity of the collision of the two separate worlds with Galina and Agafia's meeting. Agafia's family quickly acclimates to the newcomers, particularly her, as they swiftly adapt and incorporate the outside world into their tiny isolated bubble.

Journalists don't often transition well to writing long-form pieces of fiction — particularly when there seems to be an obligation to tell a story that is based on real events, to whatever degree. The great dupe of fiction is that none of what we read is real, but that it *could* be. The author must convince the reader that it is "life-like" and that the characters exist off the page. Zhorov's inability to leave journalism behind and approach her novel with a Svengali air of sanctioned deception is where the shortcomings of this book start.

The pace slows tremendously once Galina and her pilot, Snow Crane leave before the harsh winter. (Snow Crane is a nickname given by Agafia upon meeting him, before which he was simply known as Galina's no-name pilot — and then he is unbelievably called Snow Crane for the remainder of the book, even by Galina — even away from the taiga.) With very little dialogue, and more than an arm's length of removal between the characters and the reader, the remote third-person narrative that switches between Galina and Agafia for the majority of the book is at odd's with the intention of a character study here. There is no intimacy, no internal access to either Agafia or Galina.

This distance and tone, almost disinterested in itself, feels like a news article — maybe a magazine feature, at most. There’s a finality to the passages that makes it feel as though it’s constantly setting up for a scene to open up — something that almost never happens — or is working on wrapping up the story. And, at some random spot like 30% in, it’s hard to imagine what could be written on the intervening pages that warrants such a length.

The exacerbation of the tone is made worse (and quite boring) by Zhorov leaning so heavily into telling rather than showing — it is constant. Which is odd, given the approach to a character study when we should more readily feel what the character is feeling and the choices with which they struggle. This felt more like the outline of a screenplay (sans dialogue) rather than a novel, which underscored that most of this played out in the author's head, rather than it being written to play out properly in mine.

Fascinating. Galina and Agafia could not have been raised in different circumstances and with different expectations but they meet in 1970s Siberia and bond. Galina, the daughter of a powerful Communist party member, defied her father to follow her heart into geology- and now she's looking for iron in the taiga to fuel the Soviet economy. Agafia's family lives so far off the grid that there isn't even a grid, dependent on the land and their faith. Her one outside companion is the spirit of Peter, who speaks to her. And then Galina and her helicopter pilot Snow Crane arrive and change everything. Agafia and Galina alternately tell the story, with input from Snow Crane, who has his own tragic past that will echo into the future. All three of them experience revelations about their place in the world and all three pulled me into their orbit. This might seem slow and a tad mystic at first, but stick with it. It's a compelling portrait not only of these people but also of the taiga and the Soviet Union. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Terrific and self assured debut that I very much enjoyed.

In the 1970s, two Russian women will meet and change each other's lives forever. Galina is a successful young geologist leading mining projects, while Agafia leads a secluded life in the Siberian wilderness, following the Old Believer ways. The two could truly not be more different on the surface, but the ways in which they interact and show their love ring out in such similar tones.

I adored this story, and these characters. It's a slow burn novel for sure, but it's delicious in its detail. I am, admittedly, a sucker for what I've come to recognize as an Eastern European writing style: staccato prose interlaced with exquisite metaphor. The writing itself is stunning, and the addition of two beautiful female characters makes the read that much better.

The ending is somehow deeply satisfying in its unsatisfactoriness? Does that make sense? It's ambiguous, but not in a flip-the-table sense. More that it gives you the freedom to imagine whatever paths you want these characters to travel next. It's been a while since I finished the book, and the stories of Galina and Agafia still loom large in my thoughts.

Thank you so much to Irina Zhorov, Scribner, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

Wow! I loved this book so much! I haven't stopped thinking about it. It really makes you think about how you treat people that are different from you and how our decisions and actions affect people.

Lost Believers is such an amazing story. I did not know that geology and the 1970s Soviet mining industry could be so interesting! The stories of Agafia and Galina highlight the importance and purity of nature, while shining a light on the industries that do great harm to it. Agafia is an innocent soul who cares greatly for the taiga in Siberia where she lives, accompanied by only her close family and the land around her. Galina comes into her life, intent on finding iron and mining the land, but Agafia shows her just how beautiful nature is and can be. Their story of friendship, as well as Galina's and Snow Crane's relationship were wonderful to read. I only wish that Agafia's point of view was shown more!

This was a slow-moving but touching tale of two women in the Soviet era. I enjoyed their relationship and the focus on their growing friendship. I enjoyed the environmental aspect and the oft-ignored perspectives in this area and time period. The characters were likeable and it was competently written. It didn't wow me, but I thought it was serviceable and nice.

I imagined this book to be everything I have been searching for. It seemed to have a little bit of everything that I love reading about .
To my surprise after getting 30% through the book, I just stopped. I DNF.
I am disappointed in the book, and in myself.

The premise of Lost Believers seemed so unique, and I eagerly started reading this story.
 
Unfortunately, I had very mixed feelings while reading and decided to DNF after 20%. In my opinion, the story dragged on and on and on, and I just couldn’t hold my attention. Just ignore my review. It’s probably a case of it’s me, not you.

I just didn’t connect with this one, despite a promising premise and left this novel unfinished. Deep character descriptions, but I lacked a connection for some reason.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. The premise is incredibly unique and definitely peaked my interest. But the storytelling falls flat.

This is more of a character study than a novel. To be honest, there is very little plot to speak of. The characters are well written, and the juxtaposition of the lives of Galina and Agafia was the most interesting draw of the book.

The prose and narrative beautifully depicts the Siberian taiga, where Agafia has spent most of her life, secluded from the rest of the modern world. Her family has very strong religious view, which clashed with the rise of the Soviet way of life in Russia. They built their own life away from the "worldly" influence of outsiders. But when city-born Galina and her team of geologists come upon Agafia's family hidden in the wilderness, an inevitable cultural exchange causes both women to reevaluate their lives.

If you are drawn to the history of Soviet-era Russia, you might enjoy this. I loved the descriptions
3/5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This one just really wasn’t for me. It was well written, and the premise seemed interesting, but for me, the execution was lacking. The author dragged through a LOT of back story for inconsequential characters and, honestly, didn’t make me feel. I highlighted in the book only twice. I hate to give negative reviews, but it just didn’t work for me.