The Apartment

October 14, 2019
In this striking view into Russian history, Litvina and Desnitskaya present four generations of the fictional Muromtsev family in the same Moscow apartment between 1902 and 2002. Each large-format spread features densely detailed cutaways of the home in naïf cartoon-style art, revealing everyday lives often impacted by political upheaval, famine, and wars. Family members take turns narrating in featured years: “Mama came home crying. She had traded the spoons for a piece of horsemeat, but on the way home, she was attacked... by a pack of stray dogs,” a young Marusya Muromtseva reports in 1919. Apartment scenes alternate with spreads providing historical context, including labeled vignettes of objects popular at the time, and a search-and-find game, with red question marks, invites readers to find items in previous illustrations. Originally published in Russia, the volume features poems, song lyrics, news clippings, and signs in Russian. The book’s breadth of detail, complicated Russian history, and family sagas may overwhelm some readers, but a glossary, index, and timeline of Russian and Soviet history provide additional support. This illustrated “living museum” allows readers to glimpse ordinary lives through some not-so-ordinary times. Ages 8–12.

September 15, 2019
Seven generations of a family in a communal apartment lead readers through 100 years of Russian history. First published in Russia as Istoriia Staroi Kvartiry (2016), this story tracks the fictional Muromstev family from its move into the apartment in 1902 to a birthday celebration in 2002, covering major political and personal events within that time period. Double-page, diary-style spreads generally alternate between an intimate look into the apartment, with one of the current generation's children narrating events both personal and political, and a more objective examination of the history experienced. These pages tend to be crowded with labeled illustrations of household objects, conversations among characters, and collaged-in archival images. Endpapers are plastered, scrapbook-style, with photographs and document clippings, and family trees are helpfully included prior to and following the story proper. Extensive backmatter provides further cultural elucidation. While readers might at first be skeptical of what appears to be a glorified house tour, the triumphs and tribulations of the family quickly become engrossing thanks to Litvina's conversational, emotive text. Desnitskaya's simple cartoon illustrations easily distinguish the many characters, although time skips of up to 12 years can make it difficult to discern who's still alive. Readers unfamiliar with Russian might also have trouble pronouncing character names; conversely, readers who can read the language will enjoy perusing the newspaper articles and song lyrics scattered throughout. Characters are all white presenting, but the Muromstev clan includes Jewish and Georgian family members. A visual delight for the culturally savvy. (author's note, glossary, timeline, bibliography, index) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.