About Time I Read It: Purge by Sofi Oksanen

Looking for a novel set in Estonia for Rose City Reader‘s European Reading Challenge back in January I borrowed an ebook of Finnish-Estonian writer Sofi Oksanen’s 2015 novel When the Doves Disappeared. After a promising start I eventually gave up, turned off by novel’s frequent skipping back and forth between historical periods and narrators. Hoping I might like one of her other novels I vowed to someday give Oksanen’s fiction another shot. Then, almost a year later and still in need of something set in Estonia I borrowed an ebook of her 2010 historical novel Purge. From the onset I could tell Purge was gonna jump around a lot, just like When the Doves Disappeared. This time however I was able to stick with Oksanen’s dark yet well written novel, a novel that might even make my year-end list of Favorite Fiction.

It’s 1992 and retiree Aliide Truu is living a quiet life in rural Estonia, a nation once again independent after enduring a half century of Soviet domination. One day out of the blue a mysterious young woman shows up on Aliide’s property. Barefoot, bruised and barely dressed, it’s obvious she’s in distress but at refuses to give any details. Fearful she might acting as a lookout for a team of thieves wishing to rob her, Aliide is hesitant to help her. Eventually, she tells Aliide in heavily Russian-accented Estonian her name is Zara and she’s fleeing her abusing husband. Skeptical, but nevertheless wanting to do the right thing she takes Zara in, feeding her and attending to her wounds.

Through flashbacks we learn Zara’s odd arrival is no random event but the end result of choices, good, bad and otherwise Aliide has made over her lifetime. Not only do both woman share a deep bond, they’ve also suffered horribly at the hands of others. Because of those links they share these two women who appear to have nothing in common have been brought together.

After having good luck with Purge I’d like to read more of Oksanen’s fiction. Heck, I’m even willing to give When the Doves Disappeared another shot. This is a very good novel.