Wings of Sorrow
A moving novel about two siblings torn apart by
a dictatorship.
1995. A town in Belarus. Andréi is ten when his sister Sveta is born into the torn family. The father’s prison sentence under the authoritarian regime drives Andréi’s mother and grandmother to drink and Andréi has to care for Sveta and himself, loving protecting and comforting his little sister.
When a Belarusian language teacher takes Andréi under her wing, to guide him towards a better future, he decides to leave his home country. After their grandmother passes away, Andréi makes sure that Sveta can live with their uncle, an opponent of the regime. There, Sveta does not receive love, but she learns to love Belarus, to speak the language and to fight for the freedom of their country. She graduates as a journalist and instead of writing propaganda, she creates an electronic news platform to provide people with the truth.
With the presidential elections in 2020, the turbulence in the country increases and protests against the regime end in violence and imprisonment of civilians. Sveta’s work becomes increasingly dangerous and she eventually has to flee and leave everything behind, just like her brother fifteen years before. As Sveta crosses the border, a flock of storks flies above her in the sky. She makes her way to Finland, where she will at last reunite with her beloved brother Andréi.
In Wings of Sorrow, Anna Soudakova renders a suspenseful family saga set against the backdrop of Belarus’ recent history. Skilfully intertwining the different character’s portraits spanning four generations, she recounts in equally beautiful and powerful language their suppression and eternal struggle, as well as the profound humanity of individuals and the loving relationship between the siblings and their shared aspiration for freedom.
Reading Material:
Finnish edition and PDF
Sample translation 45 pp.
Synopsis
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Reviews
“This is one of those novels which deals with terrible, difficult themes but despite - or perhaps, even because of this - you can but love it. The kind of book that is the reason for reading at all.”
“Every ambitious novel which seeks to increase our understanding of our neighbours to the east is essential at this time. As is this one.”
“Interestingly, Soudakova uses the Belarusian language in her book as a kind of powerful tool, thereby contributing to the renaissance of the language. Hopefully, the book will also increase [Finnish] readers’ understanding of the situation in Belarus.”
