When the Doves Disappeared

Sofi Oksanen, Lola Rogers (Translated by)

$18.00

Publication Date: February 9th, 2016

Publisher:

Vintage

ISBN:

9780345805904

Pages:

384

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Description

Communist Estonia, 1941. As the Allies and the Axis clash in battle, two Estonian cousins are fleeing from the Red Army: Roland, a loyal freedom fighter, and Edgar, an opportunistic mercenary. When the Nazis take control of the country, Roland goes into hiding. Edgar abandons his wife, Juudit, and transforms himself into a loyal supporter of Hitler’s regime.
Flash forward to 1963: Estonia is back under communist control behind the Iron Curtain. Edgar has taken on yet another identity as a Soviet apparatchik, desperate to hide the secrets of his past and maintain his connections to power. But his fate remains entangled with Roland and Juudit, who may hold the key to uncovering the truth. In a fast-paced page-turner that switches between these two time periods, Sofi Oksanen brings to life an unforgettable story of deception, surveillance, passion, and betrayal.

About the Author

Sofi Oksanen is a Finnish-Estonian novelist and playwright. She has received numerous prizes for her work, including the Swedish Academy Nordic Prize, the Prix Femina, the Budapest Grand Prize, the European Book Prize, and the Nordic Council Literature Prize. In 2018, she was made a Chevalier of the French Order of Arts and Letters. She lives in Helsinki.

www.sofioksanen.com
Twitter: @SofiOksanen
www.facebook.com/sofioksanen

Praise for When the Doves Disappeared

“Piercing. . . . [A] chilling story of loss and betrayal.” —The New Yorker

“A brave and important voice. . . . Betrayal, secrecy, and memory are the haunting themes of Sofi Oksanen’s accomplished new novel.” —The Economist

“Finland’s best-known writer. . . . One of the stars of the European literary scene.” —The New York Review of Books

“Powerfully evocative. . . . Has the quick pace and plot twists of a literary thriller.” —The Plain Dealer

“Vivid. . . . Tense, politically relevant. . . . Weave[s] an intrigue that builds to moments of shocking revelation.” —Financial Times

“A thrilling page-turner. . . . A shattering family drama and an unsparing deconstruction of history. . . . Renewed Russian-sabre-rattling in the Baltics makes this a perfect time to read this superb writer.” —The Independent (London)

“A superb novel. . . . Over it hangs a Graham Greene-like atmosphere of human wretchedness and compromised political faith.” —The Daily Telegraph (London)

“Astonishing. . . . No one in these pages is predictable, because survival in this period, Oksanen so beautifully reveals, meant learning to love only from the part of the heart that knows how to betray.” —Toronto Star

“Brilliant. . . . [A] great historical thriller. . . . [Oksanen] has woven a story of betrayal, lies, political deceit, and modern history.” —The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“Engaging. . . . Suspenseful. . . . Gorgeousness jumps off the page when least expected.” —Winnipeg Free Press

“Powerful fiction that stirs history, war crimes, and psychology into a compelling mix. . . . Oksanen captures both the futility of the citizens of a tiny country who yearn for freedom and the dark heart of an opportunist who would sell out his own family in order to survive.” —Booklist

“Oksanen depicts civilian life in wartime and under communist oppression in rich historical detail, skillfully manipulating chronology and threading clues subtly throughout the narrative as suspense builds. . . . Highly recommended.” —Library Journal (starred)