After Silence by Jessica Gregson - #BookReview

 

Katya woke from nothing with her mouth closed on a gasp. This sudden coming back to herself, from something that wasn't sleep: there were no words for it, uncoiling her body, finding it already moving without her will. She saw her hand first, its five fingers as alien as an undersea creature, unrecognisable, pressed against flesh, red with blood. The feel of it, slick and hot, its unmistakable soft-firmness. Then her hearing, returning with a flood, and her own voice, mid-sentence: "...it's all right, it's all right."

A hand landed on her shoulder and Katya turned. She didn't know the face, but somehow associated it with wooden boards, open trucks and glances not met, a collection of independent impressions, clattering together like the shifting of stones, trodden on. The face spoke: "They're coming back."

***

Leningrad, 1941. German forces surround the city at the start of the most harrowing winter in its history. The siege becomes a battle for survival. Bodies fill the streets, and the crushing horror of cold, starvation and bone-deep fear is relentless.

Set against this background of tragedy and suffering, a remarkable group of musicians - soldiers and civilians, all of whom have been wasted by war and hunger - come together to perform Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony. They scarcely have the strength to carry their instruments, but their performance of this haunting and defiant new piece provides a rare light of hope in the darkness. Friendship, love and a vibrant passion for music combine in this ambitious, absorbing and richly sensuous masterpiece.

***

This is a wonderful novel which is strong in character, atmosphere and place.

Set in Leningrad during the siege of World War II the author uses this period and place to describe the bleak and horrific conditions in which the characters had to live and survive. I have rarely read a book whereby the author is able to create such an authentically bleak atmosphere in which to plant her characters, whilst simultaneously portraying hope, love and friendship.

Central to the story is the creation of an orchestra set amongst the ruins of the city. Weakened from little food, the characters who are central to the narrative, enlist for this orchestra largely for the extra rations they will be provided with. However, we soon learn that it is about so much more than that. Music is the lifeblood of these people and is central to the story.

The characters are exquisitely portrayed, and the author recognised exactly the right point in to which to insert the back story of the main characters without interrupting the narrative. This perfectly seamless movement through time added hugely to the novel and provided the reader with a better understanding of the characters.

I do not think that I will be able to forget Katya and Dima in a hurry. They represent all that good fictional characters should be and I highly recommend this book. Readers who enjoy historical fiction or music will enjoy this book.

ISBN: 978 1838498764

Publisher: Deixis Press

Formats: e-book, hardback and paperback

No of Pages: 474 (paperback)

About the Author:

Jessica was born in London in 1978. She is now a humanitarian education specialist and a writer, with occasional forays into other careers. Her first novel, The Angel Makers, was published in 2007 and has since sold to nine international markets. Her second novel, The Ice Cream Army, was published in 2009. She has lived and worked in a variety of places, including South Sudan, Myanmar and Azerbaijan, and currently divides her time between Glasgow and everywhere else.

(ARC provided courtesy of the publisher)