A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Anthony Marra
4.10 · 32 ratings · Published: 07 May 2013
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.
With The English Patient's dramatic sweep and The Tiger's Wife's expert sense of place, Marra gives us a searing debut about the transcendent power of love in wartime, and how it can cause us to become greater than we ever thought possible.
- historical 3
- historical fiction 3
- war/big battles 3
- literary fiction 3
- survival 3
- family 3
- realistic 3
- drama 3
- on the move 2
- grief 2
- medical horror 2
- political 2
- friendship 2
- winter 2
- islam 2
- religion 1
- protagonists of colour 1
- 20th century 1
- military 1
- military, war & conflict 1
- action / adventure 1
- spirituality 1
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- format - reader age
- audiobook 3
- book 1
- adult fiction 1
- content warnings
- death / grief 2