Dorota Konowrocka-Sawa Book order (chronological)

Theo Byrne is a promising young scientist who has found a way to search for life on other planets dozens of light years away. He is also the widowed father of a most unusual nine-year-old. His son Robin is funny, loving and filled with plans. He thinks and feels deeply, adores animals and can spend hours painting elaborate pictures. He is also on the verge of being expelled from school for smashing his friend's face with a thermos.What can a father do, when the only solution offered to his rare and troubled boy is to put him on psychoactive drugs? What can he say when his boy comes to him wanting an explanation for a world that is clearly in love with its own destruction? The only thing for it is to take the boy to other planets, all while fostering his son's desperate attempt to save this one.At the heart of Bewilderment lies the question: How can we tell our children the truth about this beautiful, imperiled planet? (goodreads.com)

Idealism, betrayal, and family secrets intertwine in this impressive novel that spans two countries and three eras, from the 1930s to the present. During the Great Depression, young American Florence Fein leaves Brooklyn in search of a warm position in Moscow, which seems to promise love and independence. Upon her arrival in the Soviet Union, she quickly finds herself ensnared by the system. Years later, her son Julian emigrates to the United States, but his work in the oil industry requires frequent visits to Moscow. When KGB files about his mother are declassified, Julian decides to delve into his family history and urges his son Lenny, who is trying to do business in Putin's Russia, to return home. The discoveries in the archives are terrifying and painful, revealing the unknown story of Americans abandoned by their homeland and hidden truths about American-Russian collaboration. The novel combines elements of romance and spy thriller, offering a poignant tale of complex family relationships against a political backdrop. It features epic scope, vivid descriptions of life in the former USSR and contemporary Russia, and a probing inquiry into ideological choices.