This honestly was a very confusing read for me. It seemed to straddle a line between young adult and middle grade, and lacked a central conflict. The writing was lovely and subtle, but I felt that I didn't get to know the characters very well, yet still had a detailed seven-page description of how to make a puppet. I have always loved the intersection of queerness and theatre and I think Russia was a fantastic background for this story, but I wanted more.