Marco Dees Dees itibaren Maden Köyü
This became my favorite book before I even finished it. I am so sad to be finished. I miss the characters already and want so badly to join their club. They made me laugh and cry and love them. I will read the book again just to hear their "voices". Fortunately, I belong to 2 book clubs with some really wonderful characters. I have one question. Why were Sophie's the only letters not included?
The book gives voice to those who disappeared into Stalin's gulags. There are not many young adult books about gulags. Actually, I cannot think of any off hand. This certainly makes the trials accessible to a wider audience than Applebaum's comprehensive tome, Gulag. The story itself follows a family through their relocation, twice. The plot, while describing horrible events, leaves the reader somewhat detached. I felt myself shaking my head and thinking, "Wow, that is awful" as characters were struggling to survive. There WAS line where a man's teeth are ripped out, I physically winced at that part. More because I have always been sensitive of anything to do with the teeth after American History X than in response to the book itself. Surprisingly, I felt myself connecting with the world through Lina's art. It took me the first third of the book to adjust to Sepetys' frequent chapter use. I would read two pages and lo- discover I had already finished another chapter! Many of them felt they could be combined. Unless she was trying to constantly interrupt the reader, which, given the story, is a distinct possibility. The ending you ask. What ending? You mean the part where a doctor runs in and supposedly saves everyone at the end? A little too Lord of the Flies for me. It felt the story sputtered out and the author reached to wrap things up with a two page epilogue. The note afterwards was very interesting. I had no idea about deportees being treated as criminals upon return. History class somehow skipped over that part. I will be researching this more. I wonder why it is not more frequently taught, 20 million dead, and barely a footnote. Sepetys' book will hopefully open up the field for more exploration about the Batlic states repression under Stalin.
The stories in this book made me laugh out loud, especially the one about "Debbie" the housekeeper.