Off Balance

A gritty, contemporary YA novel from the heart of Russia.

Dima's world is held together by two things: his beaten-up fake sneakers and his best friend, Vanya. They're just trying to survive their crumbling neighborhood-scraping for cash, avoiding trouble, and dreaming of something more.

Then two shocks hit at once:
Vanya's mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer. The treatment costs half a million rubles-an impossible sum.
And Dima, who's been secretly in love with his rich classmate Yulia since second grade, gets a text from her: "Maybe we could hang out?"

Now Dima is torn between two impossible tasks: finding a small fortune to save a woman he loves like a mother, and stepping into a world of money and privilege for a girl he thought was out of his league. In a race against time, where every honest road leads to a dead end, how far will he go to keep his balance?

For fans of THE HATE U GIVE and gritty, realistic coming-of-age stories.

This novel is translated from the original Russian. Updates weekly.