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A Constellation of Vital Phenomena: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • A searing debut about the transcendent power of love in wartime, hailed as “an absolute masterpiece” (Sarah Jessica Parker, Entertainment Weekly)—from the renowned author of Mercury Pictures Presents
“Extraordinary . . . a twenty-first century War and Peace.”—The New York Times Book Review
NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE JOHN LEONARD AWARD WINNER • ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal
In the final days of December 2004, in a small rural village in Chechnya, eight-year-old Havaa hides in the woods when her father is abducted by Russian forces. Fearing for her life, she flees with their neighbor Akhmed—a failed physician—to the bombed-out hospital, where Sonja, the one remaining doctor, treats a steady stream of wounded rebels and refugees and mourns her missing sister. Over the course of five dramatic days, Akhmed and Sonja reach back into their pasts to unravel the intricate mystery of coincidence, betrayal, and forgiveness that unexpectedly binds them and decides their fate.
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, Chicago Tribune, NPR, Kansas City Star, San Francisco Chronicle, The Christian Science Monitor, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Kirkus Reviews
“Extraordinary . . . a twenty-first century War and Peace.”—The New York Times Book Review
NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE JOHN LEONARD AWARD WINNER • ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal
In the final days of December 2004, in a small rural village in Chechnya, eight-year-old Havaa hides in the woods when her father is abducted by Russian forces. Fearing for her life, she flees with their neighbor Akhmed—a failed physician—to the bombed-out hospital, where Sonja, the one remaining doctor, treats a steady stream of wounded rebels and refugees and mourns her missing sister. Over the course of five dramatic days, Akhmed and Sonja reach back into their pasts to unravel the intricate mystery of coincidence, betrayal, and forgiveness that unexpectedly binds them and decides their fate.
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, Chicago Tribune, NPR, Kansas City Star, San Francisco Chronicle, The Christian Science Monitor, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Kirkus Reviews
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Community Reviews
Wow... what a beautifully written book. The story takes place in war torn Chechnya, how war affects the lives of 6 or more people and how their lives are intertwined. The tough decisions we make in our regular lives and how much more difficult decisions and choices are in times of war and destruction. Destruction not only of cities and buildings, but of lives and sanity. Read this book.
Once again, Books on the Nightstand recommended an amazing book! This one is Marra's debut novel and I'm just jealous. It's so beautifully written, so uniquely constructed, that it feels like an old soul wrote this. I can't wait to read more of his work.
We are in Chechnya and, while technically, we focus on a few characters, the lives of the characters are rich enough to pull others into their orbit and we learn about them as well. Eight year old Havaa manages to escape to the woods while Russian soldiers abduct her dad (it's called disappearing and is frightfully common). She teams up with family friend, Akhmed, who is a pretty poor doctor but a wonderful artist. He squirrels her away to a hospital to stay in hiding with a doctor named Sonja.
While the present day story that encompasses the above characters takes place within a week, we move back and forth between past and present for Natasha, Sonja's missing sister. For Khassan and Ramzan, neighbors of Akhmed who turn out to have a heavy hand in his fate. For Dokka, Havaa's father. Each chapter has a timeline at the top so you won't get lost in the past :)
The book is beautiful and heartbreaking and inspiring. I did not know the extent of the war in Russia and what it did to the people who were left behind. It's devastating and you want the characters to triumph.
Marra lists many books in the back that give more info on the war and Chechnya. I see extra reading on the horizon.
We are in Chechnya and, while technically, we focus on a few characters, the lives of the characters are rich enough to pull others into their orbit and we learn about them as well. Eight year old Havaa manages to escape to the woods while Russian soldiers abduct her dad (it's called disappearing and is frightfully common). She teams up with family friend, Akhmed, who is a pretty poor doctor but a wonderful artist. He squirrels her away to a hospital to stay in hiding with a doctor named Sonja.
While the present day story that encompasses the above characters takes place within a week, we move back and forth between past and present for Natasha, Sonja's missing sister. For Khassan and Ramzan, neighbors of Akhmed who turn out to have a heavy hand in his fate. For Dokka, Havaa's father. Each chapter has a timeline at the top so you won't get lost in the past :)
The book is beautiful and heartbreaking and inspiring. I did not know the extent of the war in Russia and what it did to the people who were left behind. It's devastating and you want the characters to triumph.
Marra lists many books in the back that give more info on the war and Chechnya. I see extra reading on the horizon.
Quote: “There is something miraculous in the way the years wash away your evidence, first you, then your friends and family, then the descendants who remember your face, until you aren’t even a memory, you’re only carbon, no greater than your atoms, and time will divide them as well.”
A heartbreaking story of the depredations in 2004 wartime Chechnya as separatists battle the Russian Federation and pro-Russian Chechen forces. It is a story of sacrifice, treachery, terror, and regret. Marra’s characters are fully formed, whether they are flawed, selfless, cruel, inspiring, or soulless. The writing is dense and filled with such complex emotion one must pause to give it the service it deserves. At times, the metaphors were confusing (dead spider leg mustache), but this is a picky thing. What is most compelling about this book is that it allows us to meet and fall in love with people who are living what we see in today’s headlines.
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