All reviews for Utrensning (2008)
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This is a great book that at its core is a love story of flawed people trying to survive. The story is not a happy one, but satisfying. Purge is about truth, trust and secrets one must keep to survive under oppression. The story is laid out in the opening pages and the secrets and mysterious are elegantly reveled as we are caught up in Aliide’s, Zara’s and Han’s stories of the evils that political systems let happen. We just need to watch the news of the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine to know this story is not over. The book beautifully tells this story and educated me to the oppression that Estonia withstood along with the rest of Eastern Europe, for this alone it is worth the read. But, the book is much, much more and left me sad to see it end. I am looking forward to reading Sofi Oksanen’s next book that will be released in 2015 and am sure it will be as good.
This book was recommended to me a number of years ago. I'm surprised to see this is part of a series - a quartet if I decipher correctly, and this would be the second. I found this book quite fascinating and very hard to read. I had only expected the contemporary aspect of this book (Zara's story) and hadn't pondered the relevance of the title. I would have liked to know more of Ingel and Linda's story - perhaps those stories are told in one of the other books in the quartet?One of the aspects of the book that makes it unpleasant for me is the character of Aliide - from the outset she is jealous and much (not all)of her subsequent suffering is a direct result of her manipulation and refusal to face the reality of her sister's relationship.Very well-written with strong, moving images (bravo to the translator!) An interesting, albeit difficult read.
Read the German translation 'Fegefeuer'. It was a great but not really enjoyable read.
its english title--the book is written originally in finnish--is "purge."
Abandoned. Own life too bleak to cope with others right now....