Redemption

In the aftermath of World War II, in a small Soviet town, Sashenka, a teenage girl, confronts her mother's lover and denounces her to the authorities. She meets a Jewish lieutenant who has returned to bury his family, and they must come to terms with the trauma that surrounds them. Redemption is a powerful portrait of humanity caught up in Stalin's police state, combining concrete details of daily life with witness testimonies to the mass murder of Jews. It is an important reckoning with anti-Semitism and Stalinist repression from a significant Soviet Jewish voice.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 23 October 2018
Publisher: Columbia University Press

In a small Soviet town, not long liberated from German occupation, a teenage girl named Sashenka finds herself at a crossroads. Her mother's decision to take a lover after her father's death in the war has left Sashenka bitter and resentful. She cannot bear the thought of her mother's betrayal and decides to turn her in to the authorities for a petty theft that threatens their survival.

As Sashenka's world spirals into chaos, she meets a Jewish lieutenant named David, who has returned to bury his family. Tragically, their neighbors betrayed and murdered David's family during the occupation. Sashenka and David's relationship is a complex dance of pain, loss, and redemption.

Through their interactions, Sashenka begins to confront the trauma that surrounds her. She realizes that her anger and resentment towards her mother are misplaced and that her actions have only perpetuated the cycle of violence. She also begins to understand the depth of David's pain and the injustice that he has faced.

As their relationship deepens, Sashenka and David must come to terms with the harsh realities of their lives. They face the mass murder of Jews, the brutality of Stalin's police state, and the ongoing persecution of Jews in the Soviet Union.

Redemption is a powerful portrait of humanity caught up in the aftermath of the war and the Holocaust. Written in 1967 but unpublished for many years, it is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Friedrich Gorenstein seamlessly combines the concrete details of daily life in a devastated society with witness testimonies to the mass murder of Jews. He gives a realistic account of postwar Soviet suffering through nuanced psychological portraits of people confronted with harsh choices and a coming-of-age story underscored by the deep involvement of sexuality and violence.

Interspersed throughout the novel are flights of philosophical consideration of the relationship between Christians and Jews, love and suffering, justice and forgiveness. Redemption is a significant addition to the canon of literature bearing witness to the Holocaust in the Soviet Union. It is an important reckoning with anti-Semitism and Stalinist repression from a significant Soviet Jewish voice.

Through the characters of Sashenka and David, Gorenstein explores the complexities of human nature and the search for redemption in the face of unimaginable tragedy. The novel is a testament to the power of love, compassion, and understanding in the face of adversity and a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope for a better future.

Weight: 284g
Dimension: 141 x 215 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231185158