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    When the Doves Disappeared: A Novel
    Unavailable
    When the Doves Disappeared: A Novel
    Unavailable
    When the Doves Disappeared: A Novel
    Audiobook12 hours

    When the Doves Disappeared: A Novel

    Written by Sofi Oksanen

    Narrated by Enn Reitel

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    From the acclaimed author of Purge ("a stirring and humane work of art" -The New Republic) comes a riveting, chillingly relevant new novel of occupation, resistance, and collaboration in Eastern Europe.

    1941: In Communist-ruled, war-ravaged Estonia, two men are fleeing from the Red Army-Roland, a fiercely principled freedom fighter, and his slippery cousin Edgar. When the Germans arrive, Roland goes into hiding; Edgar abandons his unhappy wife, Juudit, and takes on a new identity as a loyal supporter of the Nazi regime . . . 1963: Estonia is again under Communist control, independence even further out of reach behind the Iron Curtain. Edgar is now a Soviet apparatchik, desperate to hide the secrets of his past life and stay close to those in power. But his fate remains entangled with Roland's, and with Juudit, who may hold the key to uncovering the truth . . .

    Great acts of deception and heroism collide in this masterful story of surveillance, passion, and betrayal, as Sofi Oksanen brings to life the frailty-and the resilience-of humanity under the shadow of tyranny.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 10, 2015
    ISBN9781101913406
    Unavailable
    When the Doves Disappeared: A Novel
    Author

    Sofi Oksanen

    SOFI OKSANEN is a Finnish Estonian novelist and playwright. Her novel Purge won the Prix Femina and the Nordic Council Literature Prize, and When the Doves Disappeared was the winner of the Swedish Academy Nordic Prize and longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award. Her previous novel, Norma, was a #1 bestseller in Finland and was a finalist for the Young Aleksis Literature Prize and the New Academy Prize in Literature. Oksanen was recently awarded a Medal of Honour by the Ukrainian Association in Finland. She has also received the Budapest Grand Prize, the European Book Prize, and the Chevalier Medal of Honour from the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France. She lives in Helsinki.

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    Reviews for When the Doves Disappeared

    3.5/5

    79 ratings5 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A tale about a unhappy marriage during the German and Soviet occupation of Estonia, during and after the 2nd world war
    • 4/5
      "The clatter of dishes from the kitchen...the sounds of people who have someone with them as they do their evening chores.All that had been taken from me."

      *Disclaimer-Any kind of political comments will be deleted at once.*

      You live in a country that suffers, passing from the hands of one oppressor to the other.Armies come as liberators only to turn into tyrants.Then,the other tyrants arrive and remain in power for decades.In the midst of this nightmare,you are imprisoned within yourself, suffocated by a different kind of oppression.You try to be a good wife and in return you receive contempt and cruelty.And then, you happen to fall in love and risk your own life.Not only for the sake of your country but for a chance to live.To feel alive and wanted as a person,as a woman.

      ‘’I wait every day for the day when they come for me."

      This is the situation of Juudit,the main character in Sofi Oksanen's beautiful novel.The writer returns to Estonia and divides the narrative into two decades,the 40s and the 60s.We experience the time of the Nazi rising to authority in the country before the return of the Soviet Army who remained in power until the early 90s.The part of the story set in the 60s is mainly occupied with the struggle of the new generation,the desire of the young people and the university communities for a free,independent, modern Estonia.

      This novel has the perfect balance of all Historical Fiction traits and a fully investigated character study of the main heroine,Juudit.In addition,there is a murder mystery- and the solution is revealed at the very end,leaving you shocked- and a research for the fate of an Estonian fighter who is full of secrets.In fact,everyone is full of secrets in this novel.It is an incredibly woven story with many twists and turns and revelations until the end.Do not be afraid of the dual narration.We move back and forth in time but it's not confusing at all.If anything,each part lends more light and a better understanding of the events taking place in each era.

      I found the manner in which Oksanen places the action in chapter both captivating and touching.Estonia's name at the headlines changes depending on the current oppressor and there are stamps placed above the titles naming the years.The stamps presents images either related to the Nazis or the Soviets and I looked at them as sheer images of terror,their effect on me was certainly powerful.They're not graphic,not at all,but they carry the bleakest,most terrifying connotations and war doesn't have to be graphic in order to shock you.

      The writing is calmer and gentler than Purge.The story itself is calmer but it's not as powerful and heart-gripping as its predecessor.It's a book that stays with you,though, not because of violence and darkness (although you'll find these elements to a certain extent) but because of a woman's struggle to find some meaning in her life.Whether she finds it in the right place is not for us to judge.I admit that the part set during the 60s wasn't so interesting.It dragged quite a bit with Prats' investigation and Evelin's live troubles,but it is necessary for the culmination of the story.

      Apart from Juudit-whose character is bound to cause polarized opinions we have Roland, a brave patriot who needs to discover himself.Hellmut,the German officer who falls in love with Juudit and reminded me of Albrecht from Owen Sheers' Resistance. And then,we have Edgar who is despicable,vile,hideous and all sorts of horrible.At this point and after having read Oksanen's three novels translated in English,I feel the need to talk about my main problem with this book and my only issue with Oksanen's work in general.

      The characters is the weakness in this novel.The only one that is interesting is Juudit,the others are indifferent and some aren't given enough "book" time to develop.So,I have come to notice that this is a common feature in her novels and especially in Norma.In all three books,there is one, maybe two characters on whose arcs the whole story is supported and the rest move in the periphery of the action being useless and wasting precious time.There's no worse thing than characters who leave you cold,whose name you cannot remember once a little time passes.Still,the stories and the themes Oksanen chooses to present are so strong and so skillfully woven into the action that-for the most part- I can overlook the lack of strong,memorable characters.

      If you think that Purge might be too harsh and dark for you,then When The Doves Disappeared is a good equivalent and a suitable read in order to become familiar with Estonia's political situation at the time.To be absolutely Frank,I can't verify how accurate the depiction of the era is and I don't really pay attention to that because I avoid politics like the plague and I know that History is far from objective.In the end,it doesn't matter,in my opinion.This is a book that offers a significant insight into the cravings of the human soul and the way some of us cope with oppression, neglect and the faults (?) of the past.
    • 2/5
      Gave up o it. Too rambling and I didn't want to invest the effort to see how it progressed.
    • 4/5
      Sofi Oksanen bringt uns das Leben (und Sterben) in der bewegten Geschichte Estlands in den 1940er und 1960er Jahren näher. Im Mittelpunkt des Romans steht der Opportunist Edgar Parts, der mit den Deutschen ebenso kollaboriert wie mit den Sowjets. Weil Estland und die dort statt gefundenen Greuel während des Zweiten Weltkriegs den deutschsprachigen Lesern im Allgemeinen wohl wenig bekannt ist, ist das Buch einer finnischen Erfolgsautorin mit estnischer Mutter umso spannender. Oksanen kann zweifelsfrei spannend erzählen und gleichzeitig Zeitgeschichte vermitteln. Auf jeden Fall lesenswert!
    • 5/5
      When the Doves Disappeared is an exceptional work of literary and historical fiction by Finnish-Estonian author Sofi Oksanen. While the book covers topics of tragedy, treachery, occupation, and resistance, it also offers up hope, love, and honor, all of which is covered in Oksanen’s beautiful prose. On a personal level, I enjoyed this book not only for the well-crafted storylines, but also because Soviet foreign policy is my area of expertise. The book takes place in communist controlled Estonia in 1941 and 1963. In 1941 we meet Roland and Edgar, both fleeing the Red Army, and Roland goes into hiding while his cousin Edgar abandons his wife Juudit and becomes a loyal supporter of the Nazi regime. Moving forward to 1963, Estonia is firmly under Soviet control and Edgar has shifted alliance to become a Soviet apparatchik, however will his secrets stay safe as long as Roland and Juudit do not uncover the truth? While this may sound confusing, or at least crammed with information, it is best not to give to much away, I prefer books to unfold as the author intended and When the Doves Disappeared is definitely one where a little information is all that is needed. Oksanen is a masterful storyteller and her deft writing and detailed historical accounts make this an excellent work of deception and heroism in the worst of circumstances. The three main characters tie the storylines together and bring these crucial moments in Estonian history to light, through three completely different viewpoints, which intertwine deftly to show the humanistic viewpoints of the collaboration in Eastern Europe. I would recommend When the Doves Disappeared to those who enjoy historical fiction and beautiful works of literature.