Very powerful and engaging story. An old woman, Aliide, who lives alone in a cottage in rural Estonia in 1992, discovers a young women who is passed out, bruised, and dirty, in her front yard. The young woman, Zara, is on the run from being held captive as a prostitute and sex slave by some very unsavory men from Russia. Zara did not arrive at Aliide's doorstep by accident, however. She went there seeking out a relative who she hopes will help her escape from the men. It turns out Aliide is a sister to Zara's grandmother who lives in Vladivostok, Russia. Zara left Russia to try to make a go of living in the West but ended up in captivity. So how did this all happen and why does Aliide deny that she even had a sister? The story is told from different perspectives and timeframes going back to WWII when the Germans occupied Estonia and then through the horrors of the Russian occupation in the late 40s through the 60s. The more I read about Aliide and her treachery to her sister, the less I liked her while Zara's story was really heartbreaking. The novel told a lot about Estonia's history that I was unaware of and it really leaves you wondering how people survive in such dire situations.
I really knew next to nothing about Estonia before reading this (I had to look it up on a map) and I would highly recommend it for a glimpse of life in Eastern Europe during the years of Stalin and Khrushchev.
I really knew next to nothing about Estonia before reading this (I had to look it up on a map) and I would highly recommend it for a glimpse of life in Eastern Europe during the years of Stalin and Khrushchev.
