My first post after vacation is a book review. Figures. =D I devoured books while on the beach and on the way up, so here we go.
#1. The Betrayal by Helen Dunmore
Quickies:
4.5 out of 5
Recommended for: Ages 17+ (language, grit and several mature scenes)
Categories: Historical, Sweet Romance, Solid Writing, Can't-Put-It-Down
Synopsis: Internationally-acclaimed author Helen Dunmore follows her bestselling novel, The Siege, with a riveting and emotionally absorbing portrait of post-war Soviet Russia, a world of violence and terror, where the severest acts of betrayal can come from the most trusted allies.
In 1952 Leningrad, Andrei, a young doctor, and Anna, a nursery school teacher, are forging a life together in the postwar, post-siege wreckage. But they know their happiness is precarious, like that of millions of Russians who must avoid the claws of Stalin’s merciless Ministry of State Security. When Andrei is forced to treat the seriously ill child of a senior secret police officer, his every move is scrutinized, and it becomes painfully clear that his own fate, and that of his family, is bound to the child’s. Trapped in an impossible game of life and death, and pitted against a power-mad father’s raging grief, Andrei and Anna must avoid the whispers and watchful eyes of those who will say or do anything to save themselves.
With The Betrayal, Dunmore returns with a powerful and stirring novel of ordinary people in the grip of a terrible and sinister regime, and an evocative tale of a love that will not be silenced.
Plot: The synopsis here is absolutely, positively intriguing. I have a basic understanding of Stalinistic Russia. I know it was horrible and I know it was worse than horrible. But Gloria Whelan's books for children don't come close to delving into the horror that was post WW2, communistic Russia.
This book is brutal and merciless, but also heroic and heartwarming. The love Andrei and Anna have for each other is so sweet and caring. Each looking out so much for the other and only thinking about each other. Their marriage was beautifully solid and right.
But the circumstances in which they live are almost incomprehensible to a girl who has grown up in the US, where our rights are protected and freedom of speech is to us as natural as the air we breathe. To think about having to hush every conversation and trust no one, about not being able to go to college because of who your father was, living in fear of being reported by your neighbors for a minor infraction and forced to either leave your apartment or share it with another family, to be blamed for a difficulty in a child's treatment that is out of your field and beyond your control and treated to horrific consequences only because his father is high up in the government and has the power to do it, to have to constantly be afraid of everything, hide everything and guard everything...Absolutely unthinkable. And they say that communism/socialism and big government is a good thing?
Umm, perhaps if you're the government and you can live a life that's different than the populace you crush every day it's a good thing. But the citizens who have no rights would probably say different. If they knew they wouldn't be killed for opening their mouths.
Characters: This book was out-of-the ordinary in the way that the characters were never described. I have no idea what any of them look like and it's really unimportant. The characters of these characters is what endears them to you - not the fact that they have brown eyes, brown hair, pale skin, and ect. Also, I have no idea really what these people's last names are. Every other page someone would be calling them something different and I couldn't sort out why or how. So we'll go by firsts. And there are only a few.
Anna: I'm still not sure about her. I liked her, grew frustrated with her, put myself in her shoes, re-liked her, and ended up unsure. Quite definitely, she was thrown into a hellish situation that she did nothing to bring on. All she wanted was a peaceful home with her beloved Andrei, but with a government who has a stranglehold on every person and a finger on every vein, a thing like this is impossible. She is strong and loves too much to protect herself. And it hurts her. But she has what it takes to survive.
Andrei: He's the kind of man that any woman would be proud to call their husband. He's gentle, caring and unwilling to compromise or let anyone suffer to protect himself. It's Andrei's refusal to shrink away from what he is and what he believes is right is the compelling factor that drives the book and the price he pays to follow his conscience and sense of what is right and good is staggering, inhuman and completely unjust.
Likes:
I haven't read a well-written book in a while, so Helen Dunmore's three hundred and thirty-six page story was a welcome relief. Aside from the things that relegate it to the 17 and up category, I devoured this book and loved it. It was compelling and so horrific that I was glued to the page. I even missed Olympic swimming finals to finish it - which is a big thing for me. I love Olympic swimming. And reading it made me so incredibly glad to be American.
Anna and Andrei were great. Even though I wouldn't know them from Adam if I met them on the street because of the lack of description, they were really, really awesome. Andrei was so incredibly sweet and Anna was so considerate. They were perfect for each other. And Kolya was pretty good too. I loved his resilient piano playing.
Dislikes: Well, it was a book written for adults, and I can read books for adults, but I shy away from recommending them because of content. Even in some Christian fiction. I don't particularly understand why authors think we need to peek into the most private aspects of people's married (and unmarried) lives (though, sadly, I do know that many people read for that sort of thing) or why language is seen to enhance the experience, but that's how it is.
In some books, I can overlook it. If they're good enough.
Conclusion: The Betrayal was definitely good enough.
Till next time!
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