A Constellation of Vital Phenomena: A Novel by Anthony Marra

This harrowing tale will have you in its grip to the end. It is December 2004 and Chechnya has been a war zone for many gruelling years. People go missing regularly and informants are everywhere.

Akhmed wakes one morning to find his neighbour’s house ablaze. He discovers 8 year old Havaa hiding in the snow, watching her house burn. The Russian forces have abducted her father and she is alone and friendless. To hide her, Akhmed takes her to an abandoned hospital in the nearby town, where the sole remaining doctor, Sonja, tries her best to treat the wounded.

Sonja is not keen to help, for reasons of her own and Akhmed, a failed doctor, eventually manages to convince her to let Havaa stay on trial. There is danger all around, and an intricate pattern of connections weaves the pasts and futures of all three together.

I was unsure whether to recommend this one, as it’s quite hard-going. The background details are based on fact and life was very harsh for the Chechen people during this time. But in the end, with its final twist, this wonderfully written book was so good that I have decided to buy my own copy.

Reviewed at Young @ Heart Book Group

Catalogue Link: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena