WEST CHESTER, Pa., Aug. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Short of being
in Nazi-occupied Europe, it's hard
to image a worse environment for a Jew than 1960s and 1970s Soviet
Russia. The Russian and then Soviet empires have long been known
for intolerance of Jews with targeted violence and brutality being
a regular occurrence.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140820/138238
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140820/138237
Jewish heritage weighed heaviest on teenage boys who recognized
that their futures relied on their high school performance.
Education was the single escape to avoid an oppressive and deadly
future. Failing to secure one of the few spots in technical
colleges meant they would be drafted into the army and become a
target for their own comrades-in-arms simply because they
were Jewish.
In Tender, a coming of age novel set during those
treacherous times, Sasha faces the many dangers of Soviet culture.
By age nine, he is already binge drinking and at eleven is
navigating dangerous neighborhoods. In his early teens, a teacher
introduces him to counter-culture musicians and writers,
distracting him from his studies.
His teacher's attention then turns more intimate: they become
lovers and she pushes him unprepared into a new emotional domain.
TENDER is a story of passion, power, class struggles and survival
in one of the most unforgiving societies in the world.
Author Iosif Rikhter, a Russian native and expert in difficult
relationships, has written a novel incorporating the themes of
counter-culture, extreme anti-Semitism, and adult-youth
relationships. "The novel offers an insider's view into a closed,
class-conscious society of the past," notes Rikhter.
TENDER poses important questions for the reader. Even if you can
escape your fate and rise above your station, do you just land in
another trap with different chains? The book turns the story of
Nabokov's Lolita upside down and forces the reader to question
societal biases. Is this situation more acceptable because the
youth is male and the teacher is female? Does it change whether we
believe that the teacher-student relationship is abusive and who
holds greater responsibility?
TENDER, Rikhter's debut novel, goes on sale September 16, 2014 in printed and electronic
formats. Early reviews show that it delivers on the promise of all
the themes:
A compelling, moving and frequently very funny journey
through Soviet Russia's minefield of sexual hypocrisy,
anti-Semitism, and the brutalities of power. -Lisa Cohen, Ph. D.
Tender gets at the fundamental complexity of human
relationships, and the disturbing, yet compelling, dynamic between
controller and controlled in those which are intrinsically abusive.
-Emily, goodreads.com
For more information on the novel, supplemental background on
the book themes, and original period photos, visit
www.iosifrikhter.com.
Visit www.iosifRikhter.com for contact details, photos, and an
author bio.
Gary Zenker; (610)
883-2346
Email
For review copies, author interviews
SOURCE Iosif Rikhter