Burning is a breathtaking debut and a literary tour de force where a young man’s letters to his best friend unlock a fragmented, searingly honest account of his life
Twelve years after fate tore them apart, the narrator feels compelled to write to his friend Tyler – about the life that has passed since they last saw each other. We follow his search for identity and belonging through the brutal acting schools of London, the drug-fueled highs of New York, the chilling absurdity of pre-war Russia, and a catastrophic trip to Calabria where all masks finally come off. The narrative structure follows the associative logic of traumatic memory and pulls the reader into the very heart of trauma, delivering an emotional gut-punch of a reveal.
In language that is at once stirring and comforting, Daniel Donskoy writes about new beginnings, intoxication, and the longing for a place in the world. You laugh out loud – and the next moment, it hits you right in the heart.
This is a raw, unflinching, and profoundly modern exploration of masculinity, ambition, and the search for home that will resonate deeply with readers everywhere.
A cheeky, passionate, clever book. - Wladimir Kaminer
