Meet New Books
Book Cover

Purge

Save:
Find on Amazon

Purge by Sofi Oksanen is a gripping and intense story set in Estonia, spanning several decades from the Second World War to the early 1990s. The novel revolves around the lives of two women, Aliide and Zara, who are connected through a shared history filled with oppression, occupation, betrayal, and survival. Through detailed flashbacks and intertwining storylines, the author skillfully weaves a narrative that explores themes of sexual violence, secrets, treachery, and the impact of war on human emotions. The book delves into the complex history of Estonia, addressing the horrors of Nazi and Soviet occupations, as well as the modern-day issue of sex trafficking in Eastern Europe.

Characters:

The characters are deeply complex, particularly Aliide and Zara, each carrying their own burdens of trauma and moral ambiguity.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by lyrical descriptions and psychological depth, employing a non-linear narrative that enhances the emotional and thematic complexity.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot intricately weaves together the lives of two women, Aliide and Zara, showcasing their traumas and relational dynamics against the backdrop of Estonia's tumultuous history.

Setting:

The setting encompasses rural Estonia during significant historical upheavals, vividly described and integral to the narrative.

Pacing:

The pacing is deliberate and builds gradually, often shifting between timelines, which may result in perceived unevenness.
I have to try to write a few words to keep some sense in my head and not let my mind break down. I’ll hide my notebook here under the floor so no one will find it, even if they do find me. This is no ...

Notes:

The novel is set in Estonia during the early 1990s and goes back in time to the 1940s, encompassing significant historical events.
It tells the intertwined stories of two women: Aliide, an elderly Estonian woman, and Zara, a young Russian woman escaping from sex trafficking.
The themes include oppression, survival, and the psychological impact of trauma on women's lives.
The story explores how the characters' pasts and the political climate affect their choices and relationships.
Aliide's character is complex, grappling with guilt and shame over her past actions, including betraying her sister.
Zara's life reflects the harsh reality of sex trafficking and the struggles faced by women in post-Soviet countries.
The book is praised for its vivid descriptions of the Estonian landscape and insightful portrayal of local life.
Oksanen uses a non-linear narrative, jumping between different timelines to reveal the characters' interconnected histories.
Despite its dark themes, the novel also explores love and the complexities of human relationships.
The translation by Lola Rogers is noted for successfully capturing the essence of the original Finnish text.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include graphic descriptions of sexual violence, trauma, abuse, and themes surrounding human trafficking.

From The Publisher:

Soon to be published in twenty-five languages, Sofi Oksanen's award-winning novel Purge is a breathtakingly suspenseful tale of two women dogged by their own shameful pasts and the dark, unspoken history that binds them.

When Aliide Truu, an older woman living alone in the Estonian countryside, finds a disheveled girl huddled in her front yard, she suppresses her misgivings and offers her shelter. Zara is a young sex-trafficking victim on the run from her captors, but a photo she carries with her soon makes it clear that her arrival at Aliide's home is no coincidence. Survivors both, Aliide and Zara engage in a complex arithmetic of suspicion and revelation to distill each other's motives; gradually, their stories emerge, the culmination of a tragic family drama of rivalry, lust, and loss that played out during the worst years of Estonia's Soviet occupation.

Sofi Oksanen establishes herself as one the most important voices of her generation with this intricately woven tale, whose stakes are almost unbearably high from the first page to the last. Purge is a fiercely compelling and damning novel about the corrosive effects of shame, and of life in a time and place where to survive is to be implicated.

Reader Stats (1):

Want To Read (1)

About the Author:

Sofi Oksanen is a Finnish-Estonian novelist and playwright. Purge is her first novel to appear in English, and the first novel to win Finland's two most prestigious literary awards, the Finlandia and the Runeberg.

 
Meet New Books is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products and services on amazon.com and its subsidiaries.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.