I won this from Goodreads giveaways and I was THRILLED because my husband is Estonian, and I'm interested in WWII (aren't we all) and I have to say this is the first novel about Estonia during WWII I've ever seen.
The novel revolves mainly around three characters, Edgar, the protagonist, his wife Juudit, and his cousin Roland. It's actually about Edgar adapting his personality, name, and loyalties to fit whoever was in power at the time, and how he effectively avoids and ultimately silences the two people closest to him who could give him away. He's kind of a disgusting and wicked traitor, but he certainly plays his cards well.
Someone else in a review said it was a novel of the futility of resistance to power, and I could see that. It's also a pretty interesting look into the mind of a very bad man.
The chapters weave in between the early 1940s and the early 1960s slowly revealing things for the reader in a very gripping way. I was somewhat confused about things which either says something about me being a sort of distracted reader, OR perhaps about the switching of dates or names. Also, I feel like I didn't know ANYTHING about the Soviet and/or Nazi occupation of Estonia and perhaps if I had understood the background a little bit more it might have helped.
But anyway, I think it was good. There were a few of "those scenes" for you conservative readers. There is sort of a subplot that maybe Edgar is a homosexual. Certainly his marriage was sexless, so with things like that going on, you will definitely run into some things you might not want to read, but I think overall it was a very good book. The construction is interesting and Edgar is a very well drawn character. It is up for another giveaway right now, and I'd recommend signing up.