Club Rating: 4.6
Devastatingly sad.
Brilliantly poignant ending. The story revolves around several main characters
during a ten year time period in war torn Chechyna (1994-2004) and the the 5
days ending in 2004. Difficult to read initially because of the shifting between
time periods and characters. The reading became easier when connections were
made between the characters. Some passages seem almost poetic with Anthony
Marra's writing style and the way he describes the character's thoughts and
feelings during a particular moment. Some of the details seemed long.
Despite the truly tragic and horrific
incidents, there is a glimmer of love and human dignity during extreme
circumstances which move you as the reader. The story, while fiction, makes you
think about Chechen recent history and how painful lives can be in other parts
of the world and how blessed we are.
