Wassilly doesn’t have anything to show for himself. He’s full of ambitions, but he doesn’t have the grit or the will to make them come true. His only notable achievements are in the professional sphere. He writes articles for various publications. He makes a good living, but he doesn’t feel like it really means anything. Real writers publish their own stories—he sells his own to put in someone else’s magazine. His name is a tiny byline, utterly forgettable for any casual reader. Wassilly is overly conscious of his shortcomings. He finds himself unable to commit to minute lifestyle changes, like taking walks or doing word puzzles. Even his crushes are fleeting—brief infatuations with unattractive women with whom he could never really imagine a future. In social settings he stumbles over his words, always talking too much or too little and making his peers highly uncomfortable. Despite Wasilly’s heightened awareness of his weak character and awkward behavior, he thinks it’s all a coincidence. His sister is blunt with him. She tells him to his face that this is who he_ is_, not just how he acts. This honesty shifts Wassilly’s perspective. He knows that he wants to change, but he’s not sure where to start. When his brother dies, Wassilly is even more perturbed. They weren’t close, but the loss still feels profound. He goes over to his brother’s dirty apartment to pack up his belongings. While cleaning up, Wassilly realizes that he never would’ve chosen his siblings as family. It feels wrong to be the one picking through this stranger’s mess, boxing up the debris of a life he never really knew. That evening, Wassilly returns home and sleeps fitfully, disquieted by the epiphanies of the day. **   **