Maxim Matusevich Publishes New Short Story Collection Six Trains of No Return

Maxim Matusevich, Ph.D., chair and professor in the Department of History at Seton Hall University, has published a new work of fiction, Six Trains of No Return, a collection of short stories and novellas that explores the emotional landscapes of migration, memory and belonging in the aftermath of the Cold War.

Published by Academic Studies Press, the book brings together twelve stories that span continents and decades, tracing characters whose lives are shaped by displacement, political upheaval and the enduring echoes of the late Soviet era. Moving across Russia, Israel, Africa, Southeast Asia and the United States, the narratives reveal how personal histories intersect with broader global forces.

“Six Trains of No Return is a collection of twelve short stories and novellas that weave together themes of memory, displacement and belonging in the aftermath of the Cold War,” said Matusevich. “The characters navigate lives shaped by migration, political upheaval and the lingering shadows of the late Soviet world, moving across Russia, Israel, Africa, Southeast Asia and the United States. Their journeys—through friendship, love, moral dilemmas and chance encounters that awaken buried memories—reveal how personal histories intersect with broader historical forces. At its heart, the book meditates on the complexity of identity and the enduring human search for connection across cultures, time and place.”

The collection reflects Matusevich’s long-standing scholarly engagement with Soviet and post-Soviet history while bringing those historical contexts to life through fiction. The stories explore moments both intimate and consequential: a French-Cambodian woman returning repeatedly to the “killing fields” of her youth, an encounter in a Nigerian jail that forces a moral reckoning, young soldiers navigating friendship within the Soviet army and an unexpected reunion that revives long-forgotten childhood memories.

Other narratives capture the subtle cultural transformations of the late Soviet period, including soldiers' first exposure to Western popular culture at an underground video salon screening of Jaws. Across the collection, Matusevich blends humor, irony and emotional depth while probing questions of loyalty, identity and historical memory.

Critics have praised the collection for its ability to illuminate the human dimension of history. Award-winning novelist Sana Krasikov described the book as “bracingly funny and quietly devastating,” writing that the stories “bring to life a whole teeming post-Soviet world while reminding us what is most stubbornly human.” She added that the collection is “masterful in its ability to provoke unanswerable questions about memory, loyalty, victimhood and belonging… written not to console but to illuminate the deeper truths we live with long after the official story is over.”

Matusevich serves as chair of the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences. His teaching and research focus on modern Russian and Soviet history, African history and global cultural exchange. In addition to his scholarly publications, he has written widely on the cultural and historical legacies of the Soviet world.

With Six Trains of No Return, Matusevich brings those historical insights into the realm of literary storytelling, offering readers a vivid exploration of lives shaped by shifting borders, fractured histories and enduring human connections.

To learn more about the book, click here.

Categories: Arts and Culture