'Repentance' is a poignant collection of three short stories- 'Song of Laments', 'Futility' and 'Repentance' - which explore the psychological complexity of relationships between fathers and sons.

The issues addressed are ageless and universal. Set across the centuries, from biblical times to the present, often merging mythology with illusion and reality, the stories focus on challenges faced by fathers and sons as each struggles to assert his own identity and individual place in the world.
In the 'Song of Laments', a young warrior returns to find his settlement on the Kazakh Steppe destroyed by the enemy and is torn between his duty to the clan in seeking revenge, and that of honouring his father by adopting the mantle of the renowned and talented kuyshi.

'Futility', focuses on a new father who despite his love and acceptance of his responsibilities for his infant son, still hankers after a taste of his former, more carefree and youthful self. His subconscious yearning manifests itself in an alarming illusion which leads him to face his sense of dislocation and place in the universe.

'Repentance' opens with the dilemma faced by Abraham when called to sacrifice his son in order to prove his love for God and progresses to an account of how a present day father deals with the harrowing news of his estranged son's suicide. Chillingly, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that neither of these fathers considered the impact of their own actions on the souls of their sons... Succumbed by guilt over his abandonment of his son at an early age and armed with the pages of his Aslan's diary, Arsen embarks on a journey which leads him into ever darker domains, both physical and mental. Over time, he gradually recognises with horror, just how much their lives mirrored each other's; from the psychological damage inflicted by war to their search for love, happiness, security and self-belief, through different extremes of escapism - women, addiction and violence. By confronting aspects of his son's tortured life, Arsen is forced for the first time in his life, to question his own morality and its devastating impact on his son's psyche.

Amanshayev 's prose is wonderfully visual, providing theatrical settings which are further enhanced by a rhythmic use of words to conjure sound; from the melodic dombra to the cries of the animals and winds of the Steppe, and the beat of a bouncing ball. His characters are portrayed with equal sensitivity, from the young warrior, the new father and suicidal son, each caught up in a 'boundless twilight of loneliness', to the homeless addicts, spurned women and Lothario father; each one inviting empathy from the reader.

-- Laura Hamilton, Editor
November 2016