At a sentence-level, this novel shines. It's hilarious, and propulsive, and did I mention also a ghost story? Katya Apekina is the real deal. I can't wait to read whatever she does next. Thanks to the publisher for the e-galley.

While there are things to like about this story -- the dry humor, the intriguing premise, the wholly original speculative elements, the vivid and visceral portrayal of the Russian Revolution among them. But as compelling as Irina's story and character are, Zhenia's part feels oddly flat in comparison. It wasn't until the last third of the book that she felt like a fully developed character, and while that might have been by design -- Zhenia's nature gradually revealed, alongside the truth of Irina's life, like the nesting dolls of the title, it left me feeling indifferent. I appreciated what the author was trying to do, but it isn't a title that I could convincingly handsell to patrons.

This book started off strong for me. History of Russia in the early 1900's coupled with a current timeline. I found the idea of medium sharing the story to a great grand daughter interesting. I was invested in Irina's Russian story. However, it got weird as it went on, and the medium story kind of fell apart for me. Then, the ending was so abrupt. I was sure I was missing some more pages. I didn't really like Zhenia, the main characters in the current timeline. When it was over, I didn't really care what happened to her, but wanted more from Irina's story. The writing was pretty good, though she uses the word "stared" way too often.

A fascinating examination of family history. A focus on generation’s of trauma, motherhood, and growth. Much like Russian nesting dolls, this book opens more and more of the main character’s familial past in very unique ways - supernatural ways! I enjoyed the spots of humor, the honesty of motherhood and relationships, and the suspense of history. I struggled a little keeping the different timelines and POVs straight, but it didn’t deter my enjoyment!

Thank you NetGalley, ABRAMS, and author Katya Apekina for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In "Mother Doll", Katya Apekina weaves a tapestry of intergenerational trauma, motherhood, and the haunting specter of history with remarkable poise and depth. Set against the backdrop of a fractured family and the weight of inherited secrets, Apekina's novel delves into the complexities of identity, immigration, and the relentless march of time.

At the heart of the narrative is Zhenia, who is recently and unexpectedly pregnant while attempting to come to terms with the decline of her beloved grandmother. Zhenia is a first-generation Russian-Jewish daughter, living in LA, across the country from her family, working as a translator after failing as an actress. Her confusion and discontent with her life is evident as she doesn't know how to move forward with her life. She suddenly recieves a call from a psychic who claims to the speaker for Zhenia's great-grandmother Irina, calling from beyond the grave, needing to tell her story and get forgiveness in order to move on. Her story mainly being about her heavy involvement in the Russian revolution as a Menshevik, helping to overthrow the tsar's government before being betrayed by Lenin's Bolshevik government.

Apekina is masterfully able to weave together the supernatural and the real world that calling this book a ghost story doesn't do it justice. Deeply human, the stories of each generation affecting the next clearly demonstrate the effect of generational trauma on each next woman. It's clear to see the parallels between Zhenia's situation and Irina's. However, Apekina investigates whether familial forgiveness and understanding can help unravel generational trauma from continuing forward.

Apekina's prose is at once funny and tender, infusing the novel with a raw emotional resonance that lingers long after the final page is turned. The presentation of the Russian-Jewish family experience is hilariously accurate and a unique representation for this 'own voices' category. With "Mother Doll," she crafts a gripping family saga that transcends the boundaries of time and space, offering readers a profound meditation on the enduring legacy of trauma and the redemptive power of love.

In conclusion, "Mother Doll" stands as a testament to Katya Apekina's talent as a storyteller. With its richly drawn characters, evocative prose, and unflinching exploration of the human condition, this novel is sure to captivate and resonate with readers seeking a deeply moving literary experience.

A complex, engaging, at times baffling story of ghosts, trauma, and Russia. Zhenia thought her life was going fine until it wasn't and now she's both dreading the death of her grandmother and dealing with a psychic who claims he is channeling the great grandmother who abandoned her daughter, It's a lot and the chorus of voices who chime in occasionally might be a bit confusing at first but then you relax and it all works. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I'd not read Apekina before but I'm impressed by this and will go back for her first novel while hoping for a third.

“𝙄 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙄 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚, 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.”

I’m a fan of Katya Apekina, I devoured The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish, from the title to the entire story and am delighted that her latest is a completely different tale. Mother Doll is an interesting read that is hard for me to categorize. Historical fiction, paranormal, family trauma, revolutions, abandonment, unwanted pregnancy, flailing relationships, dead that cannot move on- there is a lot to sink into. Zhenia’s beloved grandmother Vera is dying, losing cognitive ability, a fact she cannot face, when she receives a strange voicemail from a man named Paul Zelmont. Returning his call, he tells her he is a psychic medium and has been speaking to her dead maternal great-grandmother, Russian spy Irina Petronova. He informs her that Irina must tell her life story to them, naturally he doesn’t speak Russian he will need Zhenia to translate it, the memoirs can then be published, Irina’s legacy. Believing it’s a scam, Zhenia is stunned when he mentions her own pregnancy, which not many people know about. Why would Irina want to enlist her from beyond the grave, she abandoned her little girl, Vera, at a Russian orphanage so long ago sailing off to America and building a whole new family. Obviously a cold, cruel, self-serving monster of a woman. Not that she believes this madness, but who cares if she led a fascinating life when she gave up the one person Zhenia loves more than herself? Humoring him, she writes down what he channels, and is told that she is the closest thing to Vera herself, an absolute truth. Irina’s story unfolds, beginning with her spot at finishing school in Petrograd secured by her father before his death, their financial ruin, forcing her to live at her wealthy aunt’s house, in the servants quarters as she finishes out her schooling. Her job, to help her cousin Hannah get accepted into Petrograd society, closed off to them “on account of their being Jewish”. Her German teacher Fräulein Agata takes her under her wing, once a governess for a prominent family, she is popular with the students for her youth and wild, romantic ideas. Her connections are the catalyst for what befalls Irina and her cousin Hannah, during the Russian Revolution. It is also the birth of generational trauma and conflict. Zhenia resents her great-grandmother, she doesn’t want to open her heart to her, however magical this event is.

There is a line in the book, “We can make new worlds out of old bricks”, and certainly that is what occurs, as the gaps in her great-grandmother’s past are filled in. How could she have left Vera? Is there a path to forgiveness so Irina’s soul can rest? Is it Zhenia’s to give? This bridge to the dead is not without risks, Paul has never experienced this intense of channeling, it is affecting him and his partner. He is a man possessed. Zhenia’s own life is falling apart, her work as a translator at the hospital is lackluster, she fears for her marriage, her husband Ben doesn’t want to have a child with her, she feels deep down that he doesn’t want her period. She hasn’t always been loyal, faithful nor honest either. Does she really want to hold on to him? The one person she has always turned to, her grandmother, appears to no longer be of this world, one foot in the next, fading away. She isn’t ready to grasp reality but through Irina, she will receive a far more important inheritance than money. What about her pregnancy? Does this child truly carry shards of those who came before? Is that why Irina insists on telling her side posthumously?

A hell of a read, from the Russian revolution to modern day struggles, maybe they are vessels carrying each generation within them and on and on it goes. Yes, read it!

Publication Date: March 12, 2024

ABRAMS

The Overlook Press

I love a good ghost story and this was one that I couldn't put down! This was a great story! I really enjoyed it!

I was additionally, intrigued to read this book to be able to recommend it to a good friend of mine who is Russian, and who I thought would relate to some of the characters. There is a lot going on in this book, and not all of it spoke to me, but I do really feel that the author conveyed the idea of generational trauma, and how the trauma that each individual deals with informs the choices that they make in the rest of their life. It’s very easy to get sucked in involved in these women’s lives as they each try to deal with not only the terrible things happening in their own lives, but the lives of those that game before them. I will definitely be passing it along to my friend.

Short review: not daddy issues or mommy issues, but a secret third thing— great grandma issues

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I often think of this one tweet or tumblr post I saw where it said that women are born with all the gametes they will ever have in their life. Basically, our mother was born with us and our grandmother’s were born with our mothers so through transitive property, our grandmothers were born with us. I’m not sure if this is true or 100% correct (i was never good at biology), but I think this concept is kinda what Mother Doll is trying to grapple with. This idea of generational interconnectedness, whether by trauma, culture, or inane characteristics.

There are a lot of themes being discussed here. Motherhood, generational trauma, identity, belonging, finding community through political affiliation (and the dangers that might entail).

Overall, I see this book becoming very popular. It’s got a good mix of humor and heart.

4.5 stars. Thank you Overlook Press for my free ARC of Mother Doll by Katya Apekina — available Mar 12!

Read this if you:
🪆 enjoy unique, genre-bending reads (historical/literary/magical realism-ish)
👩‍👩‍👧‍👧 have some tricky female-family relationships in your life
🔮 love stories with engaging prose that require you to keep an open mind

Zhenia was just surprised with a positive pregnancy test, which throws her marriage on the rocks. To complicate things, her beloved grandmother is dying, and she just received a phone call from a medium who says her long-deceased great grandmother is trying to contact her. There's a lot going on, so Zhenia does what she usually does in tough situations: nothing. While her relationship and her grandmother languish, Zhenia ends up transcribing the story of her Russian pra-babushka over the phone. What is Zhenia supposed to do with all these matrilineal trauma memories? And which of the women in this family actually need forgiveness to move forward?

This book was such an amazing ride — it's a blend of genres that work incredibly well together. I absolutely loved the supernatural/psychic elements, especially the bits of dialogue from the "cloud" of spirits/ancestors, and the way that Paul was visualized as communicating with Irina. Despite being frustrating as hell, Zhenia is easy to root for, even when she's making decisions I don't personally agree with or stagnating in her misery.

Family relationships are tough for everyone, but these women in particular have had a rough time of it. There is a ton of trauma and wounding laced throughout this story, but also a hefty dose of healing and flourishing. I love the non-traditional relationships portrayed in this tale (especially Zhenia's situation at the end of the novel), as well as the arc of Zhenia's growth and development throughout. The whole thing is wild, informative, emotional, and heartrending. I loved it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The authors first novel is one of my favorite of all time. It’s wild to be how different this story is! Love to see it.

It took me a while to get used to the change in POVs and time jumps, but once I did I was completely engrossed. A very interesting and emotional look into the manifestation of generational trauma, motherhood, and familial relationships.

What a wild ride of a novel. There are some powerful parallels between our main character and the women who came before her and their sordid past in the Russian Revolution. We get a dual timeline of modern day with the early 20th century and how the decisions and actions of the past continue to repeat into the present. I think this book really shares some beautiful insights on motherhood and familial connection through storytelling. I loved the aspects of magical realism as well. I highly recommend to those who love history, family relationships, and motherhood stories and struggles.

Many thanks to NetGalley and ABRAMS for the opportunity to read this gem!

The author beautifully winds the metaphor of the title into this novel. Mother Doll refers to Russian nesting dolls which stand in for the relationships among generations and the ways in which trauma carries from one generation to the next.

Zhenia is pregnant and her favorite person in the world - her grandmother is dying. One day, Zhenia receives a phone call from Paul - a medium claiming that she's never met, claiming that her great grandmother (Zhenia's grandmother's mother) has contacted Paul and wishes to speak with Zhenia. Irina, is a being that lives in an interdimensional realm where fellow ancestral Russians are trapped in a cloud of their grief. In communicating through Paul and Zhenia translating her story of being a revolutionary and overall her life, Irina hopes that she can let go and be forgiven for her biggest regret in life: leaving behind Zhenia's grandmother, her daughter Vera at a Soviet orphanage and leaving on her own to America.

I had a lot of hopes for this book! I first read its description and a review in Library Journal, and I immediately thought it sounded like something I would be interested in. While I understand what the author was trying to do - because trust me I understand Russian/Soviet guilt - it felt like it was executed in a very confusing way. While the aspect of Irina communicating to Zhenia through Paul the medium was very interesting, this layer of Irina being in this weird "in between" space of life and death was at times difficult to follow. As well as that, it felt like most of the book was just Irina talking and Zhenia "transcribing," with not much reflection or input from Zhenia. It was almost like she didn't care? Which I understand to a certain extent her contention with her Great Grandmother, but this wasn't even reflected on very much, because she easily agreed to transcribe her story.

The author also spent a lot of time setting up the "before" part of Irina's story in being a revolutionary before the actual Russian Revolution, but doesn't do much in making us forgive Irina for leaving Vera behind. It's clear that Vera was terrible to her own child (Zhenia's mother), a side effect of being abandoned at an orphanage, but I didn't feel like Irina was very regretful in leaving her behind. So it makes me wonder and think what the moral of the story is here. While I was excited for the historical aspects of the story as it's such a fascinating time in history, Irina's storytelling and portions were just difficult to get through. Although Zhenia was an unlikeable character in general who kind of does all of the wrong things, I found her scenes more compelling or interesting to read. It would have been interesting to get more of Zhenia's self-reflection of her Great Grandmother's story, rather this pretty much be a book all about Irina.

Thank you to Netgalley and The Overlook Press for an early edition of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Zhenia is content with her life as Katya Apekina’s emotionally stunning novel, Mother Doll, opens. She has a happy marriage to an actor and, even if her own acting career didn’t pan out, her work as a Russian translator is satisfying. She and her husband gleefully comment on their carefree childlessness only to discover, a few days later, that Zhenia is pregnant. Her pregnancy sparks a roller coaster of revelation about what truly brings happiness and a struggle over what it means to be a mother.

Zhenia was always closest to her grandmother, Vera. Sadly, Vera is in serious decline and everyone anticipates that she won’t have long to live. Vera’s dementia means that Zhenia can’t even share the news of her pregnancy. Zhenia’s husband and mother aren’t too thrilled when they find out. Zhenia’s husband starts spending more and more time away. Zhenia’s mother is blunt when she wonders about Zhenia’s ability to take care of a child. So far, a very normal if not very joyful story. Things get strange when, out of the blue, Zhenia gets a call from a medium claiming to be in touch with Zhenia’s missing great-grandmother, who vanished after leaving a young Vera at a Soviet orphanage. The ghostly great-grandmother, Irina, wants to finally tell her story.

There is a price to be paid for learning what happened to Irina and how she came to abandon Vera. Part of that price is witnessing Irina’s many faults. She is vindictive, easily swayed by people she admires or is attractive to, and never thinks about the consequences of her actions. The heavier price is the physical toll the medium, Paul, and later Zhenia, have to bear being in close contact with the dead. If they’re not careful, Irina could pull them both over into death. For once, a Ouija board would have been safer.

As Irina tells her story and Zhenia’s pregnancy develops, Mother Doll introduces some very interesting ideas. Paul muses about how our selves are fractured into what we show others and how we change over time. It’s an open question whether there is such a thing as a true self. Glimpses of the afterlife reveal a clamor of voices all longing to tell their tales while touching the world of the living once more. Zhenia’s mother shares a few memories that make Zhenia question her own recollections of Vera and her grandmother’s love. All of these themes and plots build into a deeply satisfying conclusion when Zhenia gives birth and her son, Vladimir, comes into the world. (I particularly love how Zhenia dismisses her now ex-husband’s milquetoast suggestions for a name and insists on a Russian one, to the ex’s annoyance.)

None of the characters in Mother Doll is heroic. (Zhenia’s mother comes close because she sweeps in when needed to make sure that Zhenia and Vladimir have the help they need, without being asked.) Everyone in this book is profoundly human. They follow their inclinations without much thought for what could go wrong—and several of them get burned for it. Sure we need stories about heroes to inspire us. I would argue, though, that we need stories about the fuck-ups just as much. It might be frustrating to watch Zhenia et al. blunder but so very redeeming when they pick themselves up after disaster and learn from their mistakes.

Mother Doll is a dual timeline novel split between Russian revolutionary Irina and her great-granddaughter, Zhenia, a twentysomething in LA whose marriage is falling apart as a result of her pregnancy. Through a New York medium, Irina speaks to Zhenia and shares the story of her childhood, her political involvement, and the moments leading up to her abandonment of her daughter, Zhenia’s beloved grandmother. Meanwhile, as Zhenia receives the story and translates it from Russian into English, she grapples with the notions of heritage and legacy while coming to terms with her own impending motherhood.

The very best thing about this book is the sharp tone and biting humor. None of the characters are particularly likable, but the blunt portrayal of their humanity is admirable in its own way. Irina and Zhenia are deeply flawed characters, though the narrative’s awareness of this allows them to be sympathetic nonetheless. In developing the women’s characters, the two timelines work well together. Irina and Zhenia spill into each other in a way that complements the story, and the relationship between them is fascinating to witness. My main complaint is that I found myself becoming less engaged by the details of Irina’s political activities, which dominate the middle chapters especially, as the story progressed. The history is interesting, yes, but I was much more compelled by Irina and Zhenia’s dynamic, which seemed to get lost for a while. Still, the novel eventually reins in Irina’s narrative and the story ends on a strong note because of it. The book gifts you with an unflinching view of family and flaws that makes for a wholly satisfying read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Overlook for this ARC.

A psychic reaches out to Zhenia, telling her that her long-deceased great-grandmother, who she never met, has a story for her. Zhenia, currently pre-grieving her dying grandmother who is her favorite person in the world, dives head first, desperate to learn about the woman who abandoned her grandmother as a child. Maybe the spirit of Irina can get her closer to her grandmother, who is no longer communicative.

Some of the frame story didn't work for me--why does Paul continue the project long after his publisher rejects the proposal? Why does Zhenia continue to write down/translate Irina's story? The logic of Paul's ability is a little dubious. He can physical.ly enter whatever in between space Irina is occupying, as he leaves with a bite mark at one point. Later, when Paul leaves the narrative, Irina's ghost visits Zhenia and enters her. Paul is a narrative necessity to get Irina's spirit to Zhenia, but Apekina doesn't always seem to know what to do with him.

The chorus of spirits surrounding Irina in the afterlife is reminiscent of Saunders' "Lincoln in the Bardo," but not as affective. I don't know that it was needed in this particular narrative.

The most powerful parts of the book detail Irina's childhood in Russia and why she made the ultimate sacrifice in abandoning her daughter. Without such a powerful backstory, the book would have been three stars for me, but the vivid historical details elevates it. The story in the present doesn't hold a candle to Irina's telling of the past.

What a beautifully written novel. Katya Apekina's prose is stunning. I can't believe I've never heard of this author before. I will definitely be reading her previous work now. This novel focuses on generational trauma. I loved reading the great grandmother's backstory. It was so intriguing and intense. I loved the present time as well. I loved every character, and I loved how the main character was complexed and aggravating. Relatable characters and a wacky plot equals a brilliant novel from start to finish.

Thank you, Netgalley and Abrams for the digital ARC.

Mother Doll was written in a zippy, peppy, trying-to-please style that bodes well for its success but man I just could not buy into it, or into this story. I call this style ‘laddish’, and it works fine for almost every reader I know, and other authors who adopt this style (I’d include Patrick Dewitt and Kevin Wilson and Nathan Hill and Melissa Broder in the ‘laddish writing’ category) are beloved, but for me the danger in this style of writing is that it’s continually calling attention to itself, not in a showy literary way, but in an attempt-to-be-disarmingly vernacular way. The style is so few-shucks disarming that the story itself needs to be full of unexpected happenings but that mustn’t try too hard, or it gets twee. For me the balance here was off. Even so I’m amazed at how differently Apekina has told this story vs her debut and I remain a fan looking forward to reading what she writes next.