Redemption

Friedrich Gorenstein was a Russian screenwriter who emigrated to Berlin during the Cold War era, and wrote the screenplay for Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris. Gorenstein was also a novelist, and considered fiction his most important work although he didn't seek publication until late in life for political reasons. 'Redemption' begins in 1945, when a small Ukrainian town is liberated from Nazi occupation. Sashenka, the novel's protagonist, has lost her father to war and blames her mother, reporting her to the authorities for stealing food. Bitter and resentful, Sashenka is an unlikely heroine; but amid so much poverty and suffering, how could she be otherwise? When Sashenka falls in love with a Jewish lieutenant whose entire family has been slain by a neighbourhood killer, she begins her own path to redemption. Gorenstein's lengthy diatribes on the nature of good and evil are reminiscent of Dostoevsky. At turns magical, dreamlike and horrific, this is a difficult novel to follow, although for many Russians who lived through World War II - Gorenstein among them - the narrative may be all too real.

This is a difficult book to read, even if you consider yourself braced for historical fiction based on the Holocaust. This book sheds light on a subject many avoid: just because the war ended in September 1945, all wasn’t fair, humane, or documented for years to come in many of the countries affected by the war.
Russia was one of these countries. It suffered greatly under Stalin’s police state after the war. Food, shelter and human rights were no more honored than during the height of the Jewish extermination of previous years. In power until his death in 1953, there are volumes of horror stories of those who endured the anti-Semitic dictatorship and major famine throughout.
Redemption tells the story of Sashenka, a spoiled, self-centered teenage girl who, during a fit of anger, reports her mother for stealing morsels of food, even though her mother was doing this for Sashenka’s own health and sake. Surrounded by cruelty, evil, sadness, and desperation, Sashenka must face her own demons while trying to understand how to feel care, love and devotion in a world where none exists. Somewhat difficult to read, this book exposes the emotions of those who survive war and healing. Similar to the emotions of the child who dissected the frog in school: cruel, hypnotic, engrossing, challenging, and now, pointless. That’s a pretty crappy comparison, but I’ve lived a comfortable life in comparison to this author and the people he brings back to life in his works.
This book could easily be based on fact and actual events, and in many ways, I feel sure that it is. Redemption was written in 1967 but never published. Friedrich Gorenstein had to immigrate to Berlin before his works could be published. He knew firsthand the horrors of the Stalinist dictatorship, having lost his father to execution ordered and conducted under Stalin’s leadership.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to Columbia University Press for making it available.)

"Redemption" focuses on the aftermath of WWII in Russia. While I was intrigued by the premise and some of the themes, the writing style just wasn't for me and the characters didn't really seem to get any relatable growth.