Last New Year's holidays, my colleague (also a bibliophile) asked me what book I would like as a gift. ⠀ I was then overcome by a terrible blues and I said that I wanted to meet such an author, whose books would look like paintings by Joseph Beuys, Past Paladino or Hyper-Pupper. ⠀ In one word, I wanted to read something that would make me go crazy. ⠀ "Not a word more!" he exclaimed. That's how I got two books by Vladimir Sorokin. ⠀ Be afraid of your desires - they tend to come true. Looking at the annotations, I really went crazy and put both bricks on the far shelves, believing that my inner world was not ready for this yet. Time passed, interest grew. ⠀ From time to time I came across bad and very bad reviews about this author. Fearing disappointment, I constantly postponed our acquaintance. ⠀ The year 2022 is already approaching, and a colleague is threatening to give me a new book by Sorokin. “What will be, will not be avoided” - I thought and plunged into the world of shock conten