Train to Samarkand

Author's name: Gozel Yakhınadar Publisher: Al-Mada for Publishing and Distribution Year of publication: 2025 Literary classification: Novel Brief about the book: A boy wearing a sleeveless men's jacket in crimson color with golden flowers and glass buttons was standing in the corridor, urinating into a bucket. The jacket was very large that the hem crumpled and stretched into folds on the parquet floor, and the boy's thin neck protruded from the collar of the jacket like a stick from a bundle. His bare white body was completely exposed. The boy had no trousers, not even underwear. After he finished, he lifted the edges of his cloak so they wouldn't drag behind him while walking, and he moved to his place, dragging his feet heavily. His bare feet, visible from beneath the sides of the jacket, resembled elephant feet—ugly, swollen, bottom parts that had lost any shape. They moved slowly, with effort, barely lifting off the ground. Shapiro, panting and out of breath from climbing (it seemed to Dave that she was swaying from exhaustion and from the anxiety and turmoil of the last few minutes), explained, "We found this treasure on the orchestra balcony, next to the wig and powder. That's right, a dozen of the musicians' rehearsal suits remained, and not a single pair of shoes." It would have been better if we had found the opposite. But good things are not wasted, so we distributed them to the children... Or are you looking at his feet? I told you, we have a clinic here. The third-floor space was much narrower and lower, with small windows through which one could see a hanging cornice from above. Dave could touch the ceiling with his hand if he wanted. Clearly, the annexed buildings of R were once here. There was a low door leading to each of them... Shapiro and Dave looked into several hallways (they had to bend at the door threshold so as not to hit their heads on the lintel). They found Bellaya in one of them; she was not walking around the room but standing close to the door, looking attentively at the residents. Even if she wanted to walk, she wouldn't be able to move here—the rooms were extremely narrow, and the bodies of the children densely covered the floors.