Without
any shadow of doubt, Purge by Sofi
Oksanen is an extraordinary ambitious work that deserves to be given the
highest consideration. In very sophisticated manner, the author combined
complicated family issues with difficult political history of Estonia.
The
novel is set is 1992. Aliide Truu, is an elderly widow who lives in countryside
in Western Estonia, where people despise her due to her communist past. One
day, bruised and terrified girl appears in Aliide’s garden and looks for a
shelter. Zara, a prostitute and murderer, is on the run from her inhuman
captors. From the very beginning of the book, you feel that both protagonists
have deep dark secrets and try to hide their shame. Suspicion and fear
characterize relationship between two women.
The
book moves back and forth in time and steadily unveils stories of both women. When
communists took power in Estonia, Aliide did everything to save her sister’s
husband. Consequently, Aliide experienced sexual abuse during interrogation by
the communist militia and the shame became inseparable part of her life. By
marrying local communist, she got a chance to live relatively normal life. Her
sister Ingel was less fortunate, she was sent with her daughter to Siberia.
The
story of sexual violence and shame repeats with young Zara, who became a victim
of human trafficking. Her oppressors, the Russian mafia, made her believe she
was nothing more than ‘a stupid girl, a hopeless idiot’. In very realistic way,
the author describes what Zara went through and what she did in order to
survive. Finally, it is revealed that Zara did not choose Aliide’s house by
accident. In fact, she was a granddaughter of Ingel.
Both
women experienced sexual abuse but from hands of different oppressors. Aliide
was a victim of the communists who possessed unlimited power over people’s
lives, while Zara became a sex slave of mafia in post- Soviet period. Those men
tried to dehumanize and deprive women of dignity. Aliide and Zara symbolize
millions of women around the world- the victims of sexual violence.
Purge
is also about great desire to live. The choices that Aliide and Zara made show what
people in order to survive are capable of.
Equally
important, Purge tells about
Estonia’s complicated history. In this book Estonia can be a symbol of every
post- soviet state. Description of life in Estonia under communist rule and problems
that young independent country had to cope with, might refer to all Central and
Eastern European countries. I think that nowadays, many atrocities of communist
regime are conveniently forgotten. Purge is
a masterpiece of presenting difficult political history through lives of the
people. Sofi
Oksanen exposed those aspects of life during and after communist era that
many people are not aware of, or they forget about. I would recommend this book
to everyone who is interested in history of the region.
The
only thing that undermines the book is a very unfortunate cover. When I saw it,
I assumed Purge was a typical
criminal novel, but then, I realized it was much more than that.
This
is the best book that I have read in the last few year. There are lots of good
books, but there are just a few outstanding books that truly impact people. It
has been a great reading experience.
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