This story is set in a Chechnya village that is being terrorized by Russian soldiers on the lookout for Chechen rebels. This wasn't the easiest book to follow sometimes. Even though each chapter heading highlighted the year the events happened, it was still confusing at times. One thing that adds to the complexity is that you are introduced to each character as they appear towards the end of the story. As the story progresses, you go back in time and find out so much more about each character and they become much less one-dimensional. The main characters in this book cannot be labeled as "good" or "bad", "kind" or "evil". They all experience life-threatening experiences which change them forever. They make hurtful decisions at times. They are brave; they are scared; they succeed; they fail. Most of them are downright lonely. Another interesting technique the author uses is telling the future of the characters randomly, like how many more years they would live, or when they would die, or what they would end up doing. It wasn't foreshadowing, it was simply stated as a fact.
There are also the connections that you don't know about right away. Secret loves - and the babies/deaths that are the results of those relationships. Each character had some admirable traits - but also some rather deep flaws. The most misunderstood person in the book would be Khassan's son, Ramzan. Khassan & Akhmed obviously knew what had happened to Ramzan the first time he was taken to the Landfill, but they didn't seem to understand that most of his actions were a result of trying to always have access to the insulin and food that his father needed to stay alive. I also felt bad for Ramzan because his own father favored another man, who happened to be one of his best friends. I thought it was horrible that Ramzan betrayed his two best friends, among others, but when we find out what he did to save Dokka's life initially - in addition to his father's life - it just makes Ramzan's character complicated, not "evil". I liked Khassan, but I wished he would have loved Ramzan as much as Akhmed - and understood the reasons he did what he did.
I liked Sonja, as crabby as she was at times. I loved that she and Akhmed developed a relationship, short-lived as is was. (Unfortunately). Sonja carried the weight of the world on her shoulders - and many things did not turn out how she hoped it would. I felt sad that she lost everyone she cared for - except Havaa. I am so happy that Sonja and Havaa found each other.
Life: a constellation of vital phenomena - organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation. What a perfect title for this book. The story itself is a great definition of what the title means. When the subject outlasts its experiment.
Wendy's Rating: ****
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