The Idiot

Masha Gessen recounts how her extended immigrant family, stretched across continents and generations, absorbed her cousin Alan and aunt Lena after they arrived from Russia with Alan's five-year-old son O in 2019. What began as a quirky addition to family gatherings escalated into abductions, custody fights, and eventually Alan's arrest for attempting to murder his ex-wife Priscilla, the boy's mother.

Alan's Background and Sudden Arrival

Gessen describes Alan as a self-styled entrepreneur with a history of dubious ventures—ghostwriting papers in college, shady jobs in Russia, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe involving diamonds and security. He arrived unannounced at Gessen's father's Cape Cod home with Lena and O, claiming O needed U.S. schooling. Priscilla, left in Russia with their infant daughter Elle (born via surrogacy), contacted the family pleading for help, alleging Alan had taken O during her brief business trip to Zimbabwe. Gessen's father ignored her, prioritizing family loyalty shaped by Soviet-era distrust of authorities. The family largely accepted Alan and Lena's presence; they brought energy to the aging house with gadgets, outings, and stories. Alan portrayed Priscilla as neglectful—partying, drug-using, illiterate beyond the Bible—while Lena echoed complaints about her parenting.