The Concert Ticket

On any given morning, on the street corners of a Russian city, little kiosks suddenly appear. As soon as their shutters open, a queue forms, men and women lining up in the hope of a little bit of luxury- a pair of silk stockings or a box of chocolates. One morning news spreads that the exiled composer, Selinsky, will be returning to the city for one concert only, and there is one kiosk, somewhere, selling tickets to this most magical event of the year. So begins the story of a family, in which a ticket to Selinsky's concert means everything- for Sergei, the father, it holds the promise of an affair with another woman; for his wife, Anna, it offers the hope of winning back her faithless husband; for their son, Alexander, it means the possibility of escaping to the West. The Concert Ticketis a fabulously told story of love, longing and escape, of beauty in a world of repression, and of a family at the mercy of each other and the times in which they live. 'Olga Grushin has a gift for conveying Russian imagination.' The Indepednent 'Olga Grushin is one of those rare writers that you want to keep as your own, golden secret, but will be compelled to share.' The Lady magazine 'A strange, haunting fable about the longing for beauty and self-expression in a world that has had all the colour bled out of it.' The Times 'a masterpiece of storytelling...... aside from the wonderful plot and deeply drawn characters, there is a richness in Grushin's writing that contains all the senses.' Russian Life 'Grushin's strength lies in spinning vibrant dreamscapes which lift this quietly moving fable about the power of hope.' Amber Pearson, Daily Mail