Books from Russia — The Book Roads

Alisa Ganieva

Set in contemporary Dagestan, Bride and Groom follows two young people whose prospects for marriage become entangled with the expectations of their families and community. Against a backdrop of religious conservatism, social pressure, and political uncertainty, the characters struggle to reconcile their personal desires with the traditions that govern their lives. Marriage becomes more than a private romantic decision: it is also a negotiation involving family honour, social status, and competing ideas about modernity and cultural identity. Ganieva offers an intimate portrait of a society undergoing profound change, where old customs and new aspirations coexist uneasily. With humour and sharp observation, the novel reveals how difficult it can be to make independent choices when the community claims a powerful stake in individual lives.

2015