Estland under 2:a vk, ockupation, motstånd, misdtänkliggörande. Och om ett olyckligt äktenskap. En bit historia.

I had to take a break as I was reading Sofi Oksanen's When the Doves Disappeared to read up on Estonia during World War II. It's the first book I've read that's set in the Baltic, let alone in the Baltic during the war. I didn't know, for example, that Estonia had been an independent country before the Soviet Union took advantage of the non-aggression pact to invade in 1940. When the Germans invaded in 1941, many Estonians—including several of the characters in When the Doves Disappeared—welcomed them as a means to regain their independence. Oksanen's novel revolves around Edgar Parts as he morphs from NKVD agent to German agent and back...

Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from Edelweiss for review consideration.

Sofi Oksanen is without a doubt one of the best Finnish contemporary authors, perhaps one of the greatest overall, too. Her prose is beautiful: the language is alive, it is never static or boring but always manages to describe the situation perfectly. It is a pleasure to read her books, every page is like an artwork but without being too complicated to understand.

I loved this book even more than I loved [b:Puhdistus|6050822|Puhdistus|Sofi Oksanen|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1292502837s/6050822.jpg|3426310] and cannot understand why it has received so much criticism. I think the characters were very interesting, right from the start I wanted to know what will happen to them. I loved Roland, wanted to know more and more about Juudit, and followed in disgusted fascination how Edgar managed to play his cards and survive time after time. The intervening relationships of the characters held my interest until the very end.

I also loved the way the book was constructed: how the narration from 1940s and 1960s alternated, creating a mystery that kept me glued to the book. I already knew there were going to be surprises at the end but still I couldn't figure them out until I'd actually read them. Brillian, brilliant work.

The themes of this book are gigantic. It was very intereting to read about Estonia's history, about the Germans and the Soviet troops, about a small land's longing for independece. I liked the contrast between Helmut and Juudit's love story and the way Helmut was in charge of the camps, for example, and also the contrast between the way the Germans were first seen as liberators and then as killers, and how Soviet's troops weren't any better. All in all, this is a grim book that unveils terrible events of the history of my neighbouring country. All I could think about was "Thank God this didn't happen to Finland".

I hope this book will be translated to other languages as well - it is one of the best Finnish books I've ever read and I can recommend it to you all.

Bravo, Sofi Oksanen!

Pa ono, s obzirom na ideju knjige koja je genijalna i uzbudljiva jer govori o životu u Estoniji u periodu II. svjetskog rata i kompleknosti životnih izbora nekako se osjećam pokradeno.

Autorica stavlja kao svojevrsni centar priče Ronalda, njegovog rođaka Edgara i Edgarovu ženu Juudit kroz kojih proživljavamo tragediju onog vremena, međutim u jednom trenu samo se prešalta na 1960te i život Edgara i Juudit u SSSR-u. Taj prijelaz koji je gotovo nužan da opravda nemogućnost biranja ili posljedice istih je loš jer je nekonzistentan.

Iako likovi svojevrsno plivaju u kompleknosti onog vremena u nekakvom moralnom limbu jer naprosto nema nevinih (barem ne među njih troje), ipak postoje oni koje želiš šamarati.

Moj najveći problem s ovom knjigom je u tome što bi možda poneko poglavlje koje služi kao prijelaz tog međuperioda bilo i više nego poželjno, a ne samo nespretno bacanje čitatelja u hladnu vodu pa ti se snađi.

Dosta toga ostalo je na čitatelju da suptilno shvati ili još i bolje da ne shvati nudeći samo pitanja, a ne odgovore, a to nakon nekog vremena postane naporno.

3.5 წმენდა უკეთესია

"The clatter of dishes from the kitchen...the sounds of people who have someone with them as they do their evening chores.All that had been taken from me."

*Disclaimer-Any kind of political comments will be deleted at once.*

You live in a country that suffers, passing from the hands of one oppressor to the other.Armies come as liberators only to turn into tyrants.Then,the other tyrants arrive and remain in power for decades.In the midst of this nightmare,you are imprisoned within yourself, suffocated by a different kind of oppression.You try to be a good wife and in return you receive contempt and cruelty.And then, you happen to fall in love and risk your own life.Not only for the sake of your country but for a chance to live.To feel alive and wanted as a person,as a woman.

‘’I wait every day for the day when they come for me."

This is the situation of Juudit,the main character in Sofi Oksanen's beautiful novel.The writer returns to Estonia and divides the narrative into two decades,the 40s and the 60s.We experience the time of the Nazi rising to authority in the country before the return of the Soviet Army who remained in power until the early 90s.The part of the story set in the 60s is mainly occupied with the struggle of the new generation,the desire of the young people and the university communities for a free,independent, modern Estonia.

This novel has the perfect balance of all Historical Fiction traits and a fully investigated character study of the main heroine,Juudit.In addition,there is a murder mystery- and the solution is revealed at the very end,leaving you shocked- and a research for the fate of an Estonian fighter who is full of secrets.In fact,everyone is full of secrets in this novel.It is an incredibly woven story with many twists and turns and revelations until the end.Do not be afraid of the dual narration.We move back and forth in time but it's not confusing at all.If anything,each part lends more light and a better understanding of the events taking place in each era.

I found the manner in which Oksanen places the action in chapter both captivating and touching.Estonia's name at the headlines changes depending on the current oppressor and there are stamps placed above the titles naming the years.The stamps presents images either related to the Nazis or the Soviets and I looked at them as sheer images of terror,their effect on me was certainly powerful.They're not graphic,not at all,but they carry the bleakest,most terrifying connotations and war doesn't have to be graphic in order to shock you.

The writing is calmer and gentler than Purge.The story itself is calmer but it's not as powerful and heart-gripping as its predecessor.It's a book that stays with you,though, not because of violence and darkness (although you'll find these elements to a certain extent) but because of a woman's struggle to find some meaning in her life.Whether she finds it in the right place is not for us to judge.I admit that the part set during the 60s wasn't so interesting.It dragged quite a bit with Prats' investigation and Evelin's live troubles,but it is necessary for the culmination of the story.

Apart from Juudit-whose character is bound to cause polarized opinions we have Roland, a brave patriot who needs to discover himself.Hellmut,the German officer who falls in love with Juudit and reminded me of Albrecht from Owen Sheers' Resistance. And then,we have Edgar who is despicable,vile,hideous and all sorts of horrible.At this point and after having read Oksanen's three novels translated in English,I feel the need to talk about my main problem with this book and my only issue with Oksanen's work in general.

The characters is the weakness in this novel.The only one that is interesting is Juudit,the others are indifferent and some aren't given enough "book" time to develop.So,I have come to notice that this is a common feature in her novels and especially in Norma.In all three books,there is one, maybe two characters on whose arcs the whole story is supported and the rest move in the periphery of the action being useless and wasting precious time.There's no worse thing than characters who leave you cold,whose name you cannot remember once a little time passes.Still,the stories and the themes Oksanen chooses to present are so strong and so skillfully woven into the action that-for the most part- I can overlook the lack of strong,memorable characters.

If you think that Purge might be too harsh and dark for you,then When The Doves Disappeared is a good equivalent and a suitable read in order to become familiar with Estonia's political situation at the time.To be absolutely frank,I can't verify how accurate the depiction of the era is and I don't really pay attention to that because I avoid politics like the plague and I know that History is far from objective.In the end,it doesn't matter,in my opinion.This is a book that offers a significant insight into the cravings of the human soul and the way some of us cope with oppression, neglect and the faults (?) of the past.

I was drawn to this book by it's unique perspective: Estonia in and after WWII. The country repeatedly fought for its independence and was alternately occupied by the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and once again by the Soviet Union. The story is told from several perspectives adding depth to the story. Patriot Roland served against his will in the Soviet army, Juudit whose loyalty is torn, and Edgar who has little loyalty at all. They are all just trying to survive, and that's really what this book is about. Where does a person's loyalty lie during war time?

I'm glad I read this book; but whether from the translation, the style of the author, or the character of the Estonian language, the English writing is a bit stilted. But still a worthwhile read.

It's a short and brutal read that takes you into Estonia during WWII and 20 years later under the Soviet occupation. I was commenting that it left my soul bruised since I cared so much about the characters and to read about how they ended up, all due to petty bureocratic greed just really took it out of me. I knew, from an intellectual point of view that it was bad under the Soviet regime. Just not how bad it would have been after the 60's after the failed revolutons and the witchunts.

Great book, but I don't know if I could ever re-read it. It's that sad.