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The prose of Alexandra Kryuchkova amazes with the art of mastering the Word, the natural spirituality of the events described, the original author’s style, not abstruse, but natural penetration into Another Reality, which is intertwined with the earthly reality in the journey of the soul, led through the labyrinths of destiny by its Guardian Angel.

The novel “Confession of a Ghost”, a book with a surprisingly delicate interweaving of the threads of a unique canvas, wonderful literary language and self-irony of the author, with a non-standard plot and an unpredictable ending in which “all guns go off”, intrigues from the moment you read the annotation.

The novel was very accurately described by Vladimir G. Boyarinov, Chairman of the Moscow city organization of the Union of Writers of Russia, during the awarding Alexandra Kryuchkova with the F. M. Dostoevsky Prize “Life suffocates without a goal”,

“Today we have the presentation of Alexandra Kryuchkova, a writer, poet, mystic, philosopher… and her book we have already written about, ‘Confession of a Ghost’. And it’s in a new cover, because this is another edition, since the book is a real boom, a boom in the book market, which we have not seen for a long time! Alexandra Kryuchkova never ceases to amaze us, summoning heralds of her mystical discoveries for revelations. The Ghost lurking under the new cover is no longer just broadcasting, it confesses its truths.”

Yes, exactly, the truths! Since it’s about the inevitable triumph of the human Spirit, the Forces of Light and Good.

“A modern novel, but it’s timeless as well. It contains many wise thoughts, if not truths. It is light and deep at the same time. Fabulous and realistic. There are no idealized characters and axioms in it, but it radiates the invisible light of the Other World. While reading, in parallel and somehow automatically, you revise your life, taking that very step aside. One gets the values revised and an irresistible desire for radical changes in one’s own matrix.”

V. V. Morozov

And let the reader not be afraid of the fact that we are on the territory of Another Reality unknown to us!

“Obviously, the author is engaged in the study of Another Reality with a methodical approach close to scientific, and her work in this area, as well as on the paradoxical properties of the Word, is comparable to the activities of an entire scientific research institute… The path of a mortal, prescribed in Heaven, seems fatally predetermined, however, the author reveals the possibilities of the Spirit in the most incorrigible circumstances and, together with representatives of the Forces of Light, extends a helping hand to all her readers!”

V. G. Shyltzin

At the same time, the language of all characters, even ghosts, is equally precise and understandable to the reader, despite the use by the author of a special vocabulary of spiritual, astrological, esoteric and other specific terms. It is amazing how easily the thread of Ariadne unfolds in search of truth and love, and the more attractive is to try on the stories of the main character Alice and find your own too.

“It would seem to be a combination of the incompatible – icons and the starry Sky, the experiences of a living person and a wandering soul, our reality and its other dimensions, hidden behind the words ‘somewhere in the Universe’. In simple and understandable words, the author makes it possible to realize the structure of the Universe and ‘become conscious’ in our reality. The earthly destiny of the main character, stories from the Library of the Universe, conversations with planetary spirits, a journey through the Spheres, walks on Athos and conversations with its inhabitants are intricately interwoven into a single narrative with an original plot and an unpredictable denouement!”

V. V. Morozov

However, the novel got noticed back in 2019, after its first edition under the title “Before and After. 40 steps of Non-existence, or the Matrix of Time Space. Confession of a Ghost”, and the reviews of the first readers were included in the preface to the second edition.

“This novel is an event in literature. The novel-symphony. The genius novel (I’m not afraid of this word!). So multifaceted and polyphonic that I got scary – what if something (with such a volume) would not link into a single whole. But each thread is woven into the carpet so harmoniously, subtly, logically and in such a simple human language that it causes sincere admiration and respect! I read it twice. The first time – in pursuit of the plot, like a mystical detective, excitedly, I could not stop, and then I breathed out and re-read it slowly, savoring the details. Having reached a certain phrase of the Guardian, suddenly, I got an insight! – I realized my destiny on Earth! My whole life scrolled instantly, and I realized what I was doing here! I wanted to cry with happiness! I thank the author for her Word, that awakens us from sleep and works such miracles!”

E.V. Erofeeva-Litvinskaya

Miracles are always around, but we often don’t pay attention to them. The prose by A. Kryuchkova is not just wonderful, but musical and cinematic. Sooner or later, Alexandra’s novels and stories will be filmed, I’m sure, and I’m not the only one.

“The author not just knows the world of the Other Space well, but masters it perfectly, lives in it, feels like a fish in water and is a real fount of knowledge. The further along you read, the more obvious the autobiographical style appears, along with talented and very light fantasy techniques. Thankfully, the dark and evil takes up less space in the novel! This is a kindly light book, without vulgarity and dirt. For those who prefer real literature, who are ready to discover something new, look at the world with an inquisitive eye, to experience and co-feel, to read between the lines and draw the appropriate conclusions for themselves… Moonlight Sonata, the background music, is used very successfully! Sounding almost imperceptibly at first, it gradually reaches a crescendo and covers you with your head… In general, the plot is so multifaceted that it creates confidence in the necessity to publish the book not only in our country, but abroad as well! And even better, with a film version!”

In. K. Butorina

The cover of the first edition of the novel was the “Ladder” icon painted on Athos (in Greece) with the blessing especially for this book, and in August 2019 the first version of the novel (subsequently edited and shortened by the author) was handed over by A. Kryuchkova with a dedicatory inscription to Archimandrite Evlogii (Ivanov), the head of the Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon on Athos, to the local history museum of Ouranoupoli and to the house-museum of the local poetess and writer Joice Mary NanKivell Lock (one of the characters).

“The close connection with Orthodox childhood and later heartfelt love for Greek Athos is also reflected in the novel ‘Confession of a Ghost’, the central part of which is occupied by Athos stories and stories of local residents, as well as stories about the Saints and the wonders of their icons, recorded by the author during her trips to Ouranoupoli village, situated on the border with the Holy Mountain.”

M. Palshyna

Alexandra Kryuchkova was deservedly awarded the diploma as “the initiator and participant of the ‘Russia-Greece. The 21^st Century’ project within the framework of the Russia-Greece Cross Year of Language and Culture 2019—2020” for the novel “Confession of a Ghost”, dedicated to the Athos peninsula and the Holy Mountain in Greece, as well as “for contribution to development of international relations in the field of culture and literature” (NP “Literary Republic”, 2020).

“This book is a window to Another Reality. It’s full of Universal Love and gives hope to everyone who truly believes in it. The plot is really captivating, you try to unravel the tangle with the main character, but it keeps you in suspense to the last, slipping out of your hands… The reading is easy and interesting. The main characters become so native that the reader wants to go to Athos, enter the Dark Tower and chat with the ghost of Joice over a cup of astral tea.”

Ir. A. Antonova

In 2019, “Confession of a Ghost” was awarded Daniil Andreev Prize “Creator of the Worlds” by the Open Literary Club “Response”. The head of the club, Lyudmila Koroleva, a member of the Union of Writers of Russia, at the awarding the diploma and a name-plated statuette to the author, spoke of the “Confession” as follows,

“There are books that belong to eternity, and this is one of them… Such novels are not to be forgotten. You can re-read them at different periods of life and find something new. Perhaps the main character… remained behind the scenes. He silently watches the reader from the sky and smiles at the author.”

However, this novel has already been compared with Daniil Andreev by German Arutyunov and Vadim Shiltzyn. Sergey Bersenev (Vice-President of the Moscow Region department of the Union of Writers of Russia, Head of the Creative Center “Clouds of Inspiration”, Honored Writer of the Moscow City Organization of the Union of Writers of Russia) honored Alexandra with a diploma of Leonid and Daniil Andreev as the winner of the competition “Another Reality” for her novel “The Island of Charon”, and all the books by A. Kryuchkova on the theme of Another Reality is close in spirit to “The Rose of the World”. At the 2021 literary contests awarding ceremony of the Moscow City Organization of the Union of Writers of Russia, together with the NP “Literary Republic”, A. Kryuchkova was announced the winner of the “Writer of the 21^st century” competition in the nomination of Daniil Andreev for the book series “Playing Another Reality”, and a year earlier, for the same series she had been awarded the medal “For contribution to the Literature of Russia of the 21^st century” (the decision of the Board of the Moscow City Organization of the Union of Writers of Russia dated 16 January 2020).

Aesop-like mysterious, the works of Alexandra Kryuchkova, fortunately, exist in our reality. All her books, despite the tragic plots and the veil of death, are written for the glory of life and are permeated with the Divine Love, they direct the reader to light and goodness, leaving after reading the spiritual lightness and joy from contact with the magic of creativity!

Moreover, Another Reality is the truth of our life, thus in conclusion I’ll quote the author’s postscript to “Confession of a Ghost”,

“When you are on Athos in Ouranoupoli, find Dimitra and ask her to show you the place on the wall in her shop, where the icon of St. Peter with the keys has been materialized.”

Svetlana Il. Rudakova,

Member of the Union of Writers of Russia

The newspaper “Literary news“ №1 (199), 2022