Last Dance at the Discotheque for Deviants

** The venue was the canteen block of the Red Hammer Cement Works. It was t

he usual set-up: way out of town, secretive directions to get there, and disco lights blazing…

Moscow, 1993. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union have

brought unimaginable change to Russia. With this change come new freedoms:

freedom to travel abroad and to befriend Westerners, freedom to make money,

and even the freedom for an underground gay scene to take root.

Encouraged by the new climate of openness, twenty-one-year-old Kostya ventures

out of the closet and resolves to pursue his dreams: to work in the theatre and to

find love as his idol Tchaikovsky never could. Those dreams, however, lead to tragedy –

not only for Kostya, but for his mother and for the two young men he loves,

as all three face up to the ways they have betrayed him.

Last Dance at the Discotheque for Deviants is both a gripping mystery and a

poignant, very human tale of people beset by forces beyond their control,

in a world where all the old certainties have crumbled and it’s far from clear

what will eventually take their place.

A deeply impressive debut. Gould has created a wonderful post-Soviet page-turner. It powerfully evokes the fear and brittle hope of queer lives lived on the streets of Yeltsin's Russia.' Ben Fergusson, author of An Honest Man 'A superb evocation of the time and place, a beautifully written, tragic and compelling story and a powerful condemnation of prejudice and homophobia. I could feel and smell Moscow on every page, and was deeply moved. This book explains so much of Russia's sad, chaotic recent history while bringing out the humanity and conflicted emotions of many young Russians today.' Michael Binyon, former Moscow correspondent, The Times 'A story of covert love and intrigue in a country going through bewildering change... A compelling portrayal of the time and the place... You can almost smell the boiled cabbage and cheap cigarettes - anyone who lived through the period will be nodding in recognition.' Neil Buckley, former Moscow bureau chief, Financial Times 'Gould's debut is a sprawling and timely politico-noir about unrequited love. Against a backdrop of stark, secretive Russia, the multiple viewpoints, time-zones, and the pervading tone of paranoia create both a biting critique of oppression, and a devastating kick to the heart.' Elliot Sweeney 'I'm loving this dark thriller set in 90s Russia by debut author Paul David Gould. It explores the relationships between three young gay men and gives a fascinating insight into how their lives are affected by the horrific culture of homophobia. Chilling, compelling and wonderfully evocative.' Matt Cain 'Gould, a Financial Times journalist, combines a tender character study, a vivid portrait of Moscow and a gripping thriller: the title by the way, is entirely unironic.' Financial Times

Paul David Gould grew up on a Huddersfield council estate and studied Russian at the University of Birmingham. His experiences of work, life and love in Russia have inspired Last Dance at the Discotheque for Deviants, his first novel. He works as a sub-editor at the Financial Times.

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