Book Review: Purge by Sofi Oksanen

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Grove Press, Black Cat; 1 Tra edition (April 6, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802170773
ISBN-13: 978-0802170774

Received: by Chinoseries 
Translated from Finnish to English


Synopsis: Goodreads (Purge)


When Aliide Truu, an older woman living alone in the Estonian countryside, finds a disheveled girl huddled in her front yard, she suppresses her misgivings and offers her shelter. Zara is a young sex-trafficking victim on the run from her captors, but a photo she carries with her soon makes it clear that her arrival at Aliide's home is no coincidence. Survivors both, Aliide and Zara engage in a complex arithmetic of suspicion and revelation to distill each other's motives; gradually, their stories emerge, the culmination of a tragic family drama of rivalry, lust, and loss that played out during the worst years of Estonia's Soviet occupation.


Who: 
Aliide Truu an older woman living in the country of Estonia, lives isolated from her family and spends her days farming and dwelling on the past of what could have been. In her youth, her village was rampant with communist and fascist occupation along with European soldiers that inflicted terror and unspeakable accounts of abuse, horrifying incidents of violence and anguish against them.


Zara, a young sex-trafficking victim on the run from her captors. Her life filled with sexual abuse, exploitation, prostitution and physical abuse. She lands on the "doorstep" of Aliide Truu in the middle of the night, exhausted, filthy and injured.


What: 
This is a gritty, graphic, horrifying novel that is classified as historical/ political/ crime fiction. Initially conceived as a play in 2007.


When: 
Not told in chronological order. The story is told in short chapters told in a narrative and also via notebook entries. It moves back and forth in time through flashbacks ranging from the Soviet occupation of Estonia near the 1940's (WWII) to 1990's right after the break up of the Soviet Union.


Where:
Estonia, Russia. Serbia and Germany.


What I Liked:
The chapters were short like I prefer, which made me feel as if I was making progress as I read quickly through each chapter. I generally disliked Aliide and sometimes her personality made it difficult to empathize with her. She has a hard and stiff exterior, but as the story progresses you can see the pain and delicateness that lives within her that she is obviously trying to protect. She is also yearning for a man that does not want her, combined with all that anguish and abuse surrounding her, I could understand some of her actions, but I didn't agree with them. For instance, I would never betray my sister the way Aliide did, so that left me never fully liking her character.


Zara and Aliide share some of the same experiences unbeknownst to each other, but it is through the story and the flashbacks that we learn they share many of the same experiences, especially dealing with abuse, exploitation and the affects the war had on each of them. We also learn how strong Allide and Zara are as they manage to survive their ordeals by tolerating or accepting certain cruelties. We find that Zara landing on Aliide's doorstep is not by happenstance and I love how the importance of that relationship is revealed and how Aliide and Zara "purge" certain feelings of despair and emotional enslavement. I think the novel encapsulates how some victims survive atrocities inflicted upon them through catharsis and the closing of certain chapters in life they'd like to forget but can never change. Even when they themselves commit atrocities they regret in order to survive.


I think overall, Purge is a representation of eliminating shame felt by the horrific injustices inflicted upon people in society and how by confronting the past, they are able to release that shame, gain some closure and move forward. The best part was the account of how Zara escaped from her captors before she made it to Aliide's doorstep, it provides a riveting look into her survival and it helped the story gain some momentum. I cheered for Zara the entire time. I enjoy novels where women are put into dire situations and find a way out against all odds.

What I Didn't Like:
The novel is narrated and uses at times too much lyrical prose to describe one moment or one object. I much rather prefer historical accounts to be told in first person, it gives it more immediacy. Also, historical fiction doesn't have to be sing-song to be breathtaking. Aside from that, the novel was still somewhat engaging. Although the ending left a lot of unanswered questions and ended so abruptly, it left me disappointed. I don't know what happened Zara, the unknown fate of the woman I cheered for left me annoyed and angry. I tried to re-read the ending and still didn't gain any additional insight. So I guess I'll try to re-read again or just ask someone what happened. The last chapters were simply odd, the font changed, the tone changed, if I'm not mistaken I think they are KGB reports or wire transfers. Not sure. If someone else read it please clarify? There were also questions that never got answered, like how did Linda and her mother escape the camp? Were the KGP reports a foreshadowing of the disruption in the Soviet Union?


Themes: 
Certain themes were more prevalent than others, but there were many. The main themes being exploitation of women, sexual enslavement, war and the effects of war on women, politics, betrayal, redemption, oppression, freedom, jealousy and resentment.


Favorite quotes/excerpts
 “The walls have ears, and the ears have beautiful earrings.” 

4 Stars ****

Would've given 5 Stars had I not been confused at the end.

Book #6. "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen, 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Water for Elephants is a novel set in the 1930's and present day about an elderly man named Jacob Jankowski. He doesn't remember how old he really is....90 or 93, he's slightly bitter about it as he recounts how he has forgotten. While living in a nursing home, Jacob and some of the elderly women at the nursing home are looking out the window and they tell him that the circus is in town. This triggers Jacob's memories of working and living in a circus. He starts to recount his years spent in a circus called, The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show. The story is narrated by Jacob, alternating from past to present day through flashbacks.

Jacob's story begins with him recounting how he was set to be a veterinarian, but quit school just shy of finishing when his parents died in a car accident. Jacob is devastated and doesn't feel the desire to finish. Jacob has nowhere to go after losing his home, so he hops a train that takes the circus from town to town. As Jacob waits for the nursing home's  visit to the circus, Jacob relives his past in his mind, and the more he does so, the more he recounts the secrets that lie in his past.

Jacob is a likeable character, although in old age, his has become cranky for some odd unexplained reason. I would speculate that he is uncomfortable with being old. There are memorable characters in the story as well. The prominent character being Rosie, the elephant. Jacob was her caregiver and grew very fond of her. The novel also shows us the oppressive hierarchy within the circus, the cruelty shown to animals (which is why Jacob found it hard to leave the circus) and the relationships built and formed inside the circus.

Gruen is a great storyteller. She obviously did some research for this book due to the great lengths she goes to in order to describe circus life with great authenticity. At rare times, it felt like too much research. But the characters as odd and eccentric as they are, are very fascinating. Gruen weaved a gem of a story with humor, love, adventure, murder and loyalty....did I mention murder? I mean, who doesn't like a little suspense? Overall, I thought Water for Elephants was enjoyable. I think the love story between Jacob and Marlena should've been thoroughly developed but otherwise I would highly recommend. Now if only the circus would come to town.

**** 4 STARS

Great Quotes/Excerpts from "Water for Elephants"

"When you are five, you know your age down to the month. Even in your twenties, you know how old you are. I'm twenty-three you say, or maybe twenty-seven. But then in your thirties, something strange starts to happen. It is a mere hiccup at first, an instant of hesitation. How old are you? Oh, I'm--you start confidently, but then you stop. You were going to say thirty-three, but you are not. You're thirty-five. And then you're bothered, because you wonder if this is the beginning of the end. It is, of course, but it's decades before you admit it."

"Age is a terrible thief. Just when you're getting the hang of life, it knocks your legs out from under you and stoops your back. It makes you ache and muddies your head and silently spreads cancer throughout your spouse."

"Sometimes I think if I had to choose between an ear of corn or making love to a woman, I'd choose the corn."

"Now, go shovel some shit."

Book #1, The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips, 52 Books in 52 Weeks

A dynamic, heartbreaking novel narrated by 13 year old Tangy Mae. The setting of this book takes place in 1958 with the Quinn family which includes, Tangy Mae a black girl who lives with her mother, Rosie in rural Parkersfield, Georgia. At the start of the novel, Rozelle, "Rosie" is quitting her job and goes home, telling anyone who will listen that she is dying. Rosie nine children don't believe her, however, they would never dare to tell her so. Rosie continues with the farce that she is dying, instead of admitting to everyone around her that she is pregnant with her 10th child. Now that Rosie is pregnant, someone will have to bring in extra income. Rosie wants Tangy Mae to quit school and take a job as a maid. Tangy Mae, the brightest of the Quinn children, is determined to finish school and will do anything to graduate from high school.

Rosie who is so light skinned, she can pass for white, categorizes her children by race; White, Indian and Negroes. Tangy Mae being the darkest, is treated the worst. Often believing she is unlovable, Tangy Mae is self-conscious and feels guilty at times for wanting what little bit of happiness others find around her. Despite what Rosie does to her children, they generally return home, if not to help Rosie, for fear of the rage she might inflict on the younger siblings. The poverty the Quinn's live in, could easily be their main oppression, but at the core, it's Rosie's apathy and abuse towards her children that is the central detrimental force. This novel is gritty, graphic and in your face. Delores Phillips, does not hold back. The central themes of oppression, poverty, mental illness, racism and familial love effectively resonates throughout the book.

 

This novel is the definition of a dysfunctional family. A band of siblings, bound by love for each other, that they would endure at all cost to keep each other safe, while struggling with the desire to be free from a mother who is wrestling with her own demons. A powerhouse of emotions, readers will laugh, smile and at many times want to choke the living daylights out of Rosie.

**** 4 STAR


Great Quotes/Excerpts from "The Darkest Child"


"She took pleasure in categorizing her children by race. Mushy, Harvey, Sam, and Martha jean were her white children. Tarabelle, Wallace, and Laura were Indians-Cherokee, no less. Edna and I were Negroes."