The Pokrovsky Gate
When most people think of coming-of-age novels, they think of immature teenagers maturing and eventually becoming much more responsible young adults. However, The Pokrovsky Gate is an unusual coming-of-age story because it follows 43-year-old Lev Khobotov as he learns to become an independent person and separate himself from his controlling ex-wife. This happens in three stages: the initial infantile stage, an in-between stage where his ex-wife and girlfriend hold an equal influence on his life, and his eventual freedom. When the story first starts, Khobotov is unable to do basic things necessary for survival. It is mentioned that Khobotov had previously paid double for a room in a country house, fried an iron, broken a razor, and forgotten to update his passport, and it is shown that he stuck his hand in hot water while cooking an egg and knocked down toiletries while blow drying his hair. H...