Through the Forest

Through the Forest

At twelve, Ayni becomes her own father's wife. Her mother dies, unable to bear the sight. The forest - where drugs, guns, and blood reign - raises the girl to be a killer. For her, there is no difference between bringing down a moose or a man. But one day, she feels a warmth between her thighs at the sight of a young homeless man. Janis is beautiful as an ancient god and just as defenseless. They are about to tear him apart.

Ayni seduces him in the back of a pickup truck. Not for love - but to put a knife in his hand. Yet the forest tolerates no illusions. Kati, Ayni's twelve-year-old daughter, sees prophetic dreams. The Squirrel Queen, appearing in delirium, whispers of an ancient sacrifice. The girl already knows: the man her mother brought home will become her first. And her last.

The escape through the hurricane forest is a flight in a closed circle. Ayni survives. Her daughter dies under a bridge, a syringe by her side. Janis returns years later only to leave with nothing.

*Through the Forest* is not a novel about salvation. It is a family saga where incest is a system, love is a weapon, and mysticism turns out to be the most terrifying truth. Ayni left the forest. But the forest remained in her.