Professor of Russian, English, and Jewish Studies Maxim D. Shrayer will launch his new book, A Russian Immigrant: Three Novellas, at a campus event on Oct. 30 from 7 to 9 p.m. in Devlin 101. The event will include a reading and discussion with BC Professor of English Andrew Sofer, followed by a book signing and reception. In A Russian Immigrant, Shrayer’s Boston-based protagonist Simon Reznikov is prevented from putting down roots in his new country; he has unresolved feelings about his Jewish and American present, and his Russian and Soviet past. With elements of suspense, mystery, and crime, the three interconnected novellas gradually reveal many layers of the characters’ Russian, Jewish, and Soviet identities, as Reznikov moves from adolescence to early adulthood. [The Moscow Times calls Shrayer’s book “riveting” and “powerful.”] The event is sponsored by the departments of English and Slavic and Eastern Languages, and the Jewish Studies Program. More from BC News | Brookline Tab.