It reads much more like memoir than fiction, for there is little plot. Basically, it’s Nabokov describing some of his school-related life during his formative years. However, it’s less about his actual schooling and more about his life, St. Petersburg, and especially his relationship with his father. School isn’t absent, but it’s just a part of the life described. It’s full of detailed, precise (sometimes down to street addresses) descriptions of what his life was like.

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