There are so many pointless and frivolous memoirs out there, that one can be understandably suspicious of the entire genre. Sophia Shalmiyev, who grew up in Soviet Russia before immigrating to America (she now lives in Portland), has written an intense, visceral, and emotionally wrenching book about, among other things, Russia, her mother, being a mother, alcoholism, sex, and culture. It's all the more impressive because it's her first book. One of my favorite books of 2019 (so far).