Among the living and the dead : a tale of exile and homecoming on the war roads of Europe

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice A BookPage Best Book of the Year "This exquisitely written book shows how recovery can come generations later through rebuilding connections—to people, the natural world, the past." —Robin Shulman, Washington Post "It’s long been assumed of the region where my grandmother was born...that at some point each year the dead will come home," Inara Verzemnieks writes in this exquisite story of war, exile, and reconnection. Her grandmother’s stories recalled one true home: the family farm left behind in Latvia, where, during WWII, her grandmother Livija and her grandmother’s sister, Ausma, were separated. They would not see each other again for more than 50 years. Raised by her grandparents in Washington State, Inara grew up among expatriates, scattering smuggled Latvian sand over the coffins of the dead, singing folk songs about a land she had never visited. When Inara discovers the scarf Livija wore when she left home, in a box of her grandmother’s belongings, this tangible remnant of the past points the way back to the remote village where her family broke apart. There it is said the suspend their exile once a year for a pilgrimage through forests and fields to the homes they left behind. Coming to know Ausma and the trauma of her exile to Siberia under Stalin, Inara pieces together Livija’s survival through years as a refugee. Weaving these two parts of the family story together in spellbinding, lyrical prose, she gives us a profound and cathartic account of loss, survival, resilience, and love. "Extraordinarily tender and finely wrought." -- Eliza Griswold, author of The Tenth Parallel "It's long been assumed of the region where my grandmother was born...that at some point each year the dead will come home," Inara Verzemnieks writes in this exquisite story of war, exile, and reconnection. Her grandmother's stories recalled one true home: the family farm left behind in Latvia, where, during WWII, her grandmother Livija and her grandmother's sister, Ausma, were separated. They would not see each other again for more than 50 years. Raised by her grandparents in Washington State, Inara grew up among expatriates, scattering smuggled Latvian sand over the coffins of the dead, singing folk songs about a land she had never visited. When Inara discovers the scarf Livija wore when she left home, in a box of her grandmother's belongings, this tangible remnant of the past points the way back to the remote village where her family broke apart. There it is said the suspend their exile once a year for a pilgrimage through forests and fields to the homes they left behind. Coming to know Ausma and the trauma of her exile to Siberia under Stalin, Inara pieces together Livija's survival through years as a refugee. Weaving these two parts of the family story together in spellbinding, lyrical prose, she gives us a profound and cathartic account of loss, survival, resilience, and love 'it's Long Been Assumed Of This Region, Where My Grandmother Was Born ... That At Some Point Each Year The Dead Will Come Home, ' Inara Verzemnieks Writes In This Heartrending Story Of War, Exile, And Reconnection. Her Grandmother's Stories Recalled One True Home: The Family Farm Left Behind In Latvia During The Second World War. There, Her Grandmother Livija And Her Great-aunt, Ausma, Were Separated. Livija Fled The Fighting To Become A Refugee; Ausma Was Exiled To Siberia Under Stalin: The Sisters Would Not See Each Other Again For More Than Fifty Years. Raised By Her Grandparents In Washington State, Inara Grew Up Among Expatriates, Scattering Smuggled Latvian Sand Over The Coffins Of The Dead, Singing Folk Songs About A Land She Had Never Visited. In A Box Of Her Grandmother's Belongings, Inara Discovers The Scarf Livija Wore When She Left Home. This Tangible Remnant Of The Past Points The Way Back To The Remote Village Where Her Family Broke Apart. In Latvia, Inara Comes To Know Ausma, Her Family, Their Land And Its Stories, And There Pieces Together Livija's Survival Through Years As A Refugee. Weaving Together These Two Parts Of The Family Story In Spellbinding, Lyrical Prose, Verzemnieks Gives Us A Profound And Cathartic Account Of Love, Loss, And Survival.--jacket. Inara Verzemnieks. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 279-282). "A haunting, luminous reckoning with exile and loss. Raised by her Latvian grandparents in Washington State, Inara Verzemnieks grew up among expatriates, scattering smuggled Latvian sand over the coffins of the dead, singing folk songs with other children about a land none of them had visited. Her grandmother's stories re-created in vivid, nostalgic detail the family farm she'd left behind in a borderland violently contested during the Second World War. In the fighting, her grandmother Livija and her grandmother's sister, Ausma, were separated and would not see each other again for more than fifty years. Journeying back to the remote village where her family broke apart, Inara comes to know Ausma and the trauma of her exile to Siberia under Stalin, while reconstructing Livija's survival through her years as a refugee. In bringing together these two sides of the family story, Inara honors both sisters in a deeply cathartic and moving account of loss, survival, resilience, and love."--Provided by publisher