In My Boyfriend Came Back from the War, Olia Lialina merges visual images and narrative to create a realistic mini drama in hypertext. The pages/frames are artwork that could stand alone without any text; the text could stand alone as free form poetry. Lialina’s choice of black and white amplifies the dramatic effect of the work and dually serves to symbolize the tension associated with the words/relationship of the lovers. Although after the third page the reader is offered more choices of links to click, regardless of the order in which they are selected and read, the meaning is the same. Each frame contains a fragment or piece of the narrative. Linear order is not essential to the meaning. This hypertext is representative of Marie-Laure Ryan’s jigsaw-puzzle metaphor. All of the fragments together – visual and text – complete the narrative picture. Unlike the obscure text of Hegirascope’s, the message of My Boyfriend Came Back from the War is clear. Anyone who has experienced the changes that result from long term separation from a lover can identify with this interactive narrative. The fact that the lovers were separated by war adds deeper dimension to the conflict and further magnifies the drama. The sequence of frames moving from simple to more complex and then to nothingness, visually maps the relationship from the boyfriend’s return until nothing is left. This is the first hypertext I have experienced that has emotionally moved me. According to Marie-Laure Ryan, emergent meaning produced through the interaction of the reader with the text that results in an emotional response is called emotional immersion. I am impressed by Lialina’s hypertext and her ability to emotionally connect with me. For me, this hypertext is poignant, relevant, and has redeeming value. My test for good literature: After investing myself and my time, am I a better person? After reading My Boyfriend Came Back from the War, I can honestly say that my time was well spent. Olia Lialina passed my good literature test and has dramatically changed my view of hypertext as relevant art.