Dear readers,
I’m thrilled to share that my first novella, “Life on the Island,” has been published and is now available! As someone who has long dreamed of seeing my words in print, this moment feels both surreal and deeply fulfilling.
“Life on the Island” began during those strange, suspended days of isolation when I found myself thinking about seclusion not just as a circumstance, but as a fundamental human condition. The story follows the lives of several people in a remote coastal settlement, where time moves according to natural rhythms—tides, seasons, and the gradual erosion of stone.
In writing this novella, I wanted to explore how we create meaning within limitation, how communities form and fracture, and how the spaces we inhabit hold memories that both comfort and haunt us. Every sunbeam, the scent of damp wood, and the morning cries of seagulls became metaphors for inevitable change and internal movement in this enclosed world.
What began as personal reflections gradually evolved into something more complex—an exploration of how we navigate the boundaries between past and present, between memory and immediate experience. I’m particularly interested in those quiet moments where seemingly nothing happens, yet beneath the surface, profound transformations are taking place.
This is a story for those who appreciate unhurried, atmospheric literature—where drama resides not in grand events but in their subtle echoes across the human heart. If you enjoy contemplative reading that invites you to slow down and observe the extraordinary within the ordinary, I hope “Life on the Island” might resonate with you.
I’m deeply grateful to everyone who helped bring this story to life, from early readers who provided feedback to the publishers who believed in this quiet, meditative work.
If you’re interested in journeying to this secluded coastal world, you can find “Life on the Island” here: https://kotlyarov-publishers.ru/product/zhizn-na-ostrovelife-on-the-island-poveststory-2022-by-anastasia-dubinina
Thank you for your support on this new chapter of my journey.
Warmly,
Writer Anastasia Dubinina