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The Cruel Romance
Marina Osipova, author
October 1941. A small village outside Moscow. Serafima bids farewell to Vitya, a Soviet officer going to the front. With only moments left together, she places a cross around her beloved's neck and reluctantly releases him into a cruel world where nothing is certain, especially whether she will ever see him again.
Days later Germans invade her village and take over her tiny house. Serafima and her mother must comply with orders, endure obuse, and stay put or their village will be annihilated.
As World War II intertwines Serafima's and Vitya's life with that of a young German violinist and a Russian intellectual, their destinies are irrevocably altered. Can they rise to the challange of agonizing moral choices and learn to forgive and love again?
Plot/Idea: 8 out of 10
Originality: 7 out of 10
Prose: 7 out of 10
Character/Execution: 8 out of 10
Overall: 7.50 out of 10
Assessment:
A deftly-woven tapestry that spans the volatile 1940s and 1950s in Russia, this novel follows protagonist Serafima as her life intersects with three men and, eventually, a boy. Despite the generic title, the writing is dynamic and bursting with nimble turns of phrase, and the layers of family secrets and European history are handled with authority. Though the twists and turns are sometimes too convenient, the conclusion is appropriately dark.
Date Submitted: September 15, 2016
