Why do so many authors turn to Russia as a setting for their novels? It’s hard to say, but certain places just make for great stories. Russia with all its vastness, people and history, wintered in cold and darkness, shrouded in greatness just seems like a perfect setting for mystery, romance, intrigue or war. Who can forget Doctor Zhivago, Anna Karenina or John le Carre’s dark thrillers of cold war?
While not all novels can compete with the likes of these great books, there certainly are some newer books being written with that same familiar sense of place. The past and the present come full circle in the two novels described below. If it were not for the memories of the past locked up inside each of the characters, we would have no storyline. While one is the sole possessor of one’s own memories, it is in the here and now of the present that matters.
Winter garden by Kristin Hannah was fairly popular with patrons when it first came out and I still get frequent requests for it. The past (Leningrad) becomes the key to unlocking the present in this story of a mother and her two daughters. If you haven’t read anything by Hannah before I recommend you give her a try. Kristin Hannah writes contemporary stories focusing on women’s lives and relationships. Similar authors are Barbara Delinsky and Luanne Rice. I have read some of Rice’s books and have liked them. I found Winter Garden to be a satisfying read. You won’t be disappointed.
I suppose you could say the cover of Russian winter by Daphne Kalotay caught my eye when I first saw it. It’s unusual because it shows the back of a woman’s head with a necklace facing out. The necklace as it turns out is central to the story. Each of the main characters Nina, Drew and Gregori are interconnected through this necklace. Sense of place and history is well defined and the characters are equally drawn out. If you like jewelry, the ballet, a bit of romance and mystery along with an introduction to Russian history this book will appeal to you like it did to me.
I just finished reading Snowdrops by A. D. Miller. This tiny, slim debut volume was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker prize. It’s a psychological drama that takes place over one Moscow winter. The story is being told through the words of Nick Platt, a British lawyer living in Moscow as he confesses to a woman he is about to marry. A snowdrop is a corpse that lies buried or hidden in the winter snows, emerging only in the thaw. I’ve read you need to get past the first twenty pages to really enjoy this book. That may be true, but I was interested right from the start with the encounter at the train station. If you like a modern day story with a lot of twists and secrets this book may appeal to you.
With the film Tinker tailor soldier spy now playing in theaters, readers may be interested in rereading the novel of the same name or John le Carre’s other spy novels. It’s best to start with The spy who came in from the cold and then work your way up to the more challenging novels. Readers looking for other similarly complex, layered stories may also look to Alan Furst and Daniel Silva.
May we suggest the following additional titles?
The Russian affair by Michael Wallner
Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith
Heart of iron by Ekaterina Sedia
The betrayal by Helen Dunmore
City of thieves by David Benioff
Three stations by Martin Cruz Smith
Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne dominion by Eric Lustbader
Picture courtesy: http://english.runsky.com/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20091120/00e061046ec50c7021320a.jpg
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