A 2021 FT and Herald Book of the Year


A deadly flu epidemic sweeps through Moscow, killing hundreds of thousands. Anya and her husband Sergey decide they have no choice but to flee to a lake in the far north of Russia.


Joining them on their journey are her son and father-in-law; Sergey's ex-wife and son; and their garish neighbours. But then some friends of Sergey show up to complete Anya's list of people she’d least like to be left with at the end of the civilised world.


As the wave of infection expands from the capital, their food and fuel start to run low. Menaced both by the harsh Russian winter and by the desperate people they encounter, they must put their hatreds behind them if they’re to have a chance of reaching safety…


Inspired by a real-life flu epidemic in Moscow, To the Lake was a number one bestseller in Russia, and has now appeared in a dozen languages and been adapted into a Netflix TV series.