Language Behind the Teeth

The past and present intertwine in this touching, tender, rebellious story, creating a colorful, incredibly sincere portrait of a girl defending her right to mix French with Russian, bear her own name, and not answer the question of which country... she loves more. Polina is still a very little girl when her family emigrates to France in the 1990s. She has to get used to the new living conditions, learn a new language, and adapt to local traditions. Every summer, the family returns to Russia, where their beloved grandparents, garden beds, and the eternal question of when they will finally return to their homeland await them. Over time, Polina finds herself increasingly torn between two languages, two countries, two cultures. Thus, it is important for her that her name is written as Polina, not Polin, in French documents. Thus begins a long journey of bureaucratic battles with the state… A poignant autofiction novel exploring the experience of emigration and the struggle to preserve one's own "self."