Pioneer Summer
This star-crossed gay romance is a #1 bestselling TikTok sensation that took readers by storm, made international news, and catalyzed one of Russia’s largest-ever crackdowns on LGBTQ representation.
Cowritten by a Ukrainian–Russian duo, Pioneer Summer reached such heights of popularity that Putin stepped in to ban it. Now this swoony romance will transport American readers to another place and time and introduce them to one of the most memorable relationships of their lives.
The year is 1986, and Yurka Konev, 16, has been sent off for another summer at Pioneer Camp. Impulsive, forthright, and unfairly branded as a troublemaker, he anticipates the weeks ahead of him with boredom and dread.
But when he’s pushed into working on the camp’s theater production, he meets serious, thoughtful troop leader Volodya. Yurka finds himself drawn to the slightly older boy, and, surprisingly, Volodya seems to like him, too. The two boys grow closer and closer, and though both fear the consequences of their illegal attraction, its gravity pulls them together.
Now, 20 years later, Yury returns to the abandoned camp to reminisce on the relationship that changed his life forever—and discovers that not all history is destined to remain in the past.
Authors Kateryna Sylvanova (in black shirt) and Elena Malisova (in white shirt) (Photo by the authors)
Coverage of Pioneer Summer
“Pioneer Summer” sold 200,000 copies within six months [in Russia], overtaking books by J.K. Rowling and Stephen King. Some older people were especially offended by the story’s setting, [co-author Kateryna] Sylvanova said: The memory of the Soviet Union and its pioneer camps was sacred, and people were scandalized by the notion that young, gay people might have attended them. She and Malisova began receiving death threats on social media; videos about them were broadcast on state television. After one particularly influential blogger, Zakhar Prilepin, posted about the book and called for the publisher to be burned down, they knew they had to leave.
—Sophia Nguyen interview with Kateryna Sylvanova and Elena Malisova, The Washington Post
“The book is more than a breakout hit. It is also the catalyst for the latest legislative assault on L.G.B.T.Q. rights in Russia. Last month [in November 2022], the Russian Parliament endorsed a draconian law banning “L.G.B.T. propaganda” among all adults — criminalizing the promotion of homosexuality in public and online or in books, films and advertising. Behind it, as one author of the bill made clear, was a desire to bridle “Summer in a Pioneer Tie” [Pioneer Summer] and books like it. Remarkably, in the midst of a disastrous war, Russia’s legislators are focusing their ire on a lyrical coming-of-age novel. […] The innocent depiction of first love between young men […] threatens the Kremlin’s yearslong efforts to vilify everything gay. The result has been panic.”
—Elisabeth Schimpfössl and Felix Sandalov, The New York Times Opinion Guest Essay
“With Pioneer Summer, Malisova and Sylvanova have written an impeccably crafted romance that has captivated readers and already spurred two follow-up novels. We talked to Malisova, Sylvanova, and their translator, Anne O. Fisher, about creating complicated characters, the incredible amount of trust required to co-write a novel, and mining family history to recreate 1980’s USSR.”
Pioneer Summer is a slow-burn romance made for readers who want to immerse themselves in pining that stretches across decades, a tenderhearted love story that shows us love can bloom in nearly impossible conditions.
On May 14 [2025], Eksmo, Russia's largest publisher—accounting for approximately 20% of the market—sent a letter to "all interested organizations," which included booksellers and other partners of the publisher, with a list of 50 titles to be "disposed of on site or returned if unsold." The letter, PW has learned, was intended as a preemptive self-censorship move to shield the publishing house's bookselling partners and others from a government crackdown that came came a day later, resulting in the arrest of eleven current and former employees of Eksmo. All were interrogated, and three have been accused of disseminating "LGBT propaganda"—a criminal act under Russian law. The three accused remain under house arrest.
[…] The list of books circulated by Eksmo included mostly titles with LGBTQ+ themes […] including Summer in a Pioneer Tie [published in the US as Pioneer Summer] by Kateryna Sylvanova and Elena Malisova, a YA gay romance novel published in Russia in 2021, [and other domestic and foreign titles].
Right now [in June 2025], Pioneer Summer is involved in the “extremism” charges being filed in the “Publishers Case.” Can you have the book at home? What about giving it to someone else to read? Today, the day the English translation was released in the US, we and legal specialist Maksim Olenichev answer these important questions about the book and about the much-publicized case against publishers which is unfolding as we speak.
“A bestseller in Russia before it was banned by Putin, this tender gay love story from debut authors Malisova and Sylvanova explores illicit desire at a Soviet summer camp. […] As the story unfolds, it reinforces the message that there’s nothing abnormal about gay desire, evoking the sweetness and innocence of young love as well as its emotional torments in ways that feel powerfully universal. It’s a delightful tale of self-determination.”
“If you’re up for a little romance this summer (and who isn’t?), then look for “Pioneer Summer: A Novel” by Kateryna Sylvanova and Elena Malisova, translated by Anne O. Fisher (Abrams, $27). It’s the story of Yurka, a wild child who’s afraid his time at summer camp is about to be filled with boredom – until he meets Volodya, who’s nothing at all like Yurka. What’s that they say about how opposites attract?”
“Theater Camp was the cinematic summer confection we didn’t know we needed a few years back, but that well is far from dry. Pioneer Summer spans two decades from when Yurka and Volodya meet as teenagers at Camp Pioneer.”
“The #1 bestselling TikTok sensation that sent readers into a frenzy, made international news, and catalyzed one of Russia’s largest-ever crackdowns on LGBTQ+ representation is publishing in English for this first time this June.”