Book review: Shadows on the Tundra + competition
By Dalia Grinkeviciute Translated from the Lithuanian by Delija Valiukenas Published by Peirene Press Synopsis: In 1941, 14-year-old Dalia and her family are deported from their native Lithuania to a labour camp in Siberia. As the strongest member of her family she submits to twelve hours a day of manual labour. At the age of 21, she escapes the gulag and returns to Lithuania. She writes her memories on scraps of paper and buries them in the garden, fearing they might be discovered by the KGB. They are not found until 1991, four years after her death. This is the story Dalia buried. The immediacy of her writing bears witness not only to the suffering she endured but also the hope that sustained her. It is a Lithuanian tale that, like its author, beats the odds to survive. How did this book end up in my hands? I received an advance reading copy from the publisher in exchange of my honest opinion. Was it a page-turner? No, I wouldn’t say it was. I did read it fairly qui...