IT'S TIME: Writing On The Wall

REVIEWS

“A beautifully, lyrically crafted novel. If one could combine the contradictory ideas of a soul’s torments and the joy of life in one book – this would be the book. Coming from a young author, it was so refreshing to discover no cynicism or crude language. It was a joy to read. You felt extraordinary compassion for the protagonist in his tormented quest, you rejoiced in his optimism, you were bound to feel what he felt. Just look at his description of waves coming to shore: ‘The ubiquitous arrival of waves, one after another. It’s so calming, if you look at it. But the point is not this subtle murmur of waves. It’s the fact that after this wave there will be another, and then another. And so – forever. It never fails to calm me. Forever. Do my problems even have a meaning compared to this word…’ But don’t get me wrong – it’s not just a descriptive novel of rumination: there is a plot here – skilfully designed and not resolved until the very end.” —Irene Rudra, Texas, USA

“At first I thought Pavel Kostin’s It’s Time was going to be a twenty-first-century Catcher in the Rye set in Russia, but then it sets off into the summer sunset of the naval port’s docklands.
I like the way Kostin’s main character stays positive against a backdrop of decaying industrial sprawl - I don’t know why this strikes me as a non-commercial version of 80’s punk, but it does just that and I thought it very refreshing.”
— Andrew Whitmore, UK

“This book is about the new generation of young people, about new ideas, about the fact that everything is possible if one has faith. Very emotional, soulful, and sincere. I read it in one go. The ending both shocked and inspired, made me want to live and explore life.  The book’s spirituality  reminds me of Haruki Murakami (村上 春樹), but I disagree with the final choice of the lead character.” —Yevgeni Topunov, Cambridge, UK

“This whole novel is about bursting out against a role, against the expectations laid out for us and against surroundings we’ve grown too comfortable in.

Much of the book is a succession of impressions, of ruminations on life, on art, on reality, on our surroundings. The protagonist, Max, is reminiscent of a Fitzgerald type narrator, pulled in every which way and wandering through the conflict of the story. I was deeply impressed by the mood that surrounds it, the simple language combined with deep meaning, the motifs of friendship, love, everyday magic, and probably one of the biggest things – that of the consequences of adulthood, of finding oneself.” — Natalie Meyer, California, USA

I love this book because, although it is the story of certain unusual individuals living unusual lives, it illuminates all the existence of all of us. Thanks to Kostin’s gift for characterisation, we really believe the conversations and musings of this cast of outsiders. They, like Pavel, and like me, are fascinated by the city, and the way we all interact with it. Kostin hymns the urban landscape and the young people that refuse to just exist in it, but live in it, by it, and through it. We see them, and their lives, and their art (which accompanies the text) and we see the way their art elevates their lives.  From up on the rooftop, we can see everything, and it is beautiful. —James Rann, London, UK

Pavel Kostin’s style is very romantic, there is no cynicism or vulgarity there.  His lone, freedom seeking heroes reject consumerism and  modern society’s other dogmas.  There is such unique elegance in Pavel’s writing. Very admirable to see such qualities in a contemporary writer who just turned twenty five. —Roxanita, Barcelona, Spain

Pavel writes about modern day Don Quixote heroes, who don’t need windmills to fight, they have their own ideas to explore… But I won’t be spoiling the fun for you, read for yourself and find out.  I highly recommend, especially to young romantics. —Ivan Oreshkin, Russia

Pavel Kostin About His Novel

"IT’S TIME” is a book which has been written by the city. Not me. Not a man. The book appeared on the walls of the city itself, has grown along with structures and buildings over time. So I can say that the novel is written on the walls of my city. This relates directly to the plot ... but I am not going to spoil the fun for you here, I will just say that the secret is hidden in the urban art, street art, and my book about this partly.

There are many mysteries there, but what is mysticism? Who can reveal, where it ends and begins? Is magic real? I believe that magic exists and always existed, that it is present in each of us, lives in every moment of our lives, and it is is hidden from everyday sight, and only occasionally, sometimes, for one sparkling moment - she shows us her radiant self. I believe everyone experienced those moments at some point in their life. Do you remember one of your magic moments? My book is about this.

The city is inhabited by different people. Strange and funny. Ordinary and extraordinary. By those who make you want to yawn with boredom, and those that capture your imagination. People who cannot imagine how to break free from comfortable, warm and unbearably dull routine, and people who cannot imagine a day in it. People who repeat only what has been taught to them, and people who are always doing something new and want to build for themselves another life. Ordinary people and ... not so ordinary. Where would you place yourself? My book is about this, too.

The city has a surface and a bottom. The city has a day and a night. Bright day, tense, full of dust and bustle; night - dark and mysterious, full of beauty and charm. Day comes with work, rush and routine – it is time for business people.  Nigh brings opportunities for creation and the unknown – it is time to discover the unknown, time for artists and explorers. But beware, the seeker! At the depths of the night, there at the bottom, unchartered waters await with surprises and danger. Is it worth risking the dusty bustle of the day for the sake of coolness and beauty of the night? What would you personally choose? Predictability and comfort of routine or dangers of discovering the unknown? My book is about this.

There is noise and there is peace in the city. A continuous struggle and the romantic beauty, there is boredom and there is magic in the city. It’s a place to escape and a place where danger awaits. There is endless traffic and eternal peace. There are enemies and friends there. The city is you and there is street art in the city. That's what my book is all about.

Order "IT'S TIME" in English

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Order "IT'S TIME" in Russian

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