The early 2000s, and Martin, an expat student recently arrived in Moscow to write a doctoral thesis on the heroines of Russian literature, needs all the guidance he can get to fathom the mysterious Russian soul. Distracted from his studies by the bright lure of nightclubs, vodka, ready money and real women, his restless explorations of the city lead him to dark and unexpected places . . . **'Powerful . . . An ambitious debut' The Independent on Sunday 'A rich debut. Back to Moscow is a book to get lost in' Emma Jane Unsworth, author of Animals 'The rare novel whose last paragraphs offer up a genuine epiphany, wholly earned and wholly unexpected. An act of magic' Kevin Brockmeier, author of The Illumination**