I quite liked this, it's definitely different and is written in a way that feels intimate, despite the third person. I loved that it was truly historical and felt rooted in the time (the 1980s) and didn't lazily fall back on music references to create faux authenticity and nostalgia. Rather, political, social and cultural realities are woven into the story, and it was never info-dumpy. I felt like I was experiencing 1980s Leningrad right along with the main character, Laura, and felt as simultaneously swept up and confused by Aloysha's motivations as she did. 
 A warning to readers: the book summary reveals an important plot point that doesn't happen until nearly the end of the novel, which is too bad, because while there are loads of signs that the thing that happens will happen, it would have been nice to only suspect it and not know for sure based on the summary. 
 I elaborated here: http://cleareyesfullshelves.com/blog/...