Cinematic in style yet told with gripping literary pace, ‘Returns and Exchanges’ fuses fact with fiction to capture the true ethos of ‘Generation Y’. Melding themes of love, death, disappointment and choice; the novel is as insightful as is it entertaining. With such pertinence to modern society, Kruman’s work is expected to attract a global audience.
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/09/2013 -- While ‘Generation X’ stole the spotlight for two decades, little literary attention is placed on today’s eclectic ‘Generation Y’. However, an engrossing and important new novel by Yuri Kruman captures their ethos in one of the few books to societally and culturally examine the lives of those born at the latter end of last century.
That’s what makes ‘Returns and Exchanges’ so unique. Bravely fusing the fictional lives of five twenty-something characters with factually-accurate depictions of their hopes, dreams, triumphs and defeats – it’s as much a book of culture as it as a thrilling novel.
Synopsis:
‘Returns and Exchanges’ captures the zeitgeist of a freewheeling generation tethered, exploring all the great themes of literature - love, death, betrayal, genius, faith, mystery, fate and passion. Contemporary fiction that delves with abandon in New York and Nigeria, Berlin, Moscow and the American West, the book trails five strong characters – young and the young-at-heart, optimistic and world-weary, ambitious and accomplished, secular and religious - as circumstance forces each to confront the double-edged sword of identity.
A violinist virtuoso composes the First Symphony that will fuel his meteoric rise. A suburban misfit bucks the pressure of impending marriage, as a playboy from Europe is forced to face his past to be reborn by fire. A bold journalist braves the wilds of Russia for the story of his life. An ambitious upstart from Texas bites into the Big Apple before it bites back.
The author explains why his own generation is so fascinating.
“We were all brought up to believe that we’re the best; raised on the promise of big dreams and brought to earth by indecision of what to do when we grow up, by The Great Recession and uncertainty about our future. We’ve endured a lot and my novel exposes how we’ve reacted to the many hallmark events of our generation,” says Kruman.
Continuing, “It is at once an ode to New York and its parody, a send-up and a paean to our hallmark impatience for hierarchy and for ‘paying dues,’ the pressures and the foibles of the Modern Woman, that ever-festering decline of the West, an exploration of the creative impulse through music, the story of Two Americas and the schizophrenic end of the European experiment. Let’s just call it a strong philosophical treatment with an uncompromising voice.”
The book’s initial funding was raised via a highly successful crowd-funding campaign. Exceeding the original goal of $5000, Kruman is confident his book has a far-reaching audience.
“There are two main groups of readers – those who belong to Generation Y and want a 30,000ft view of their own generation, as well as those in Generation X who want to see how those underneath them live, act and think. This is a book alive with humor and intrigue throughout to keep the reader gripped to every page,” he adds.
‘Returns and Exchanges’ will be available from October 18th 2013 from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and AuthorHouse in all eBook formats.
For more information and to keep abreast of the book’s latest news, visit: http://www.returnsexchanges.com/
About the Author: Yuri Kruman
Born in Moscow and raised in Kentucky, Yuri Kruman graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a JD from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Yuri moved to New York in 2004 and currently lives in Manhattan with his wife.