Solovyov and Larionov.

Solovyov is a young historian writing a thesis on the life of Larionov. He seeks to understand why this White Army general, once he fell into the hands of the Reds, not only was not executed, but even received a pension from the Soviets. Having gone to Yalta in search of his hero, Solovyov is plunged into a cascade of events, each more incredible than the last. But, the reader is barely tempted to believe that what is recounted is true, or inspired by real historical facts, than he is confronted with the zany comments and pseudoscientific notes scattered by the author. Through this sort of mise en abyme, Vodolazkin thus achieves the feat of misleading the reader between reality and fiction and transforming his novel into a clever historical and scientific game, all with humor and tender self-mockery.