Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour : Memories of Soviet Russia

Told in the dual points of view of mother and daughter, Like A Drop of Ink in a Downpour is a clear-eyed look at the reality of life under Communist rule, giving readers an insider's perspective on the roots of contemporary Russia. Heartfelt, moving, and funny, it is a testament to the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters. "Alëna Lembersky is a young girl growing up Soviet Russia in the 1970s. Though her life in Leningrad is circumscribed by the deprivation of Communist regime, it is also full: full of her family's love, her friends, her school, the richness of her vivid imagination, and the legacy of her grandfather, an artist whose celebrated paintings captured the beauty of the world around them. Alëna's life is upended when her grandmother emigrates to America, and her single mother, Galia, is unjustly incarcerated. Galia's ordeals-a corrupt trial in a broken system, a stint in prison, and service in a labor camp-come close to breaking her spirit, but through it all, she remains a devoted and loving mother to Alëna, able to send her daughter beautiful (and sometimes hilariously nagging) letters that deepen their bond even through their long and fraught separation. Told in the dual points of view of both Alëna and Galia, Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour is a clear-eyed look at the reality of life under Communist rule, giving us an insider's perspective on the roots of contemporary Russia. But it is also a coming of age story about a budding artist, full of beauty and vitality and life. Heartfelt, moving, and funny, it is a testament to the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters, and the healing power of art"-- Provided by publisher "Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour is more ambitious than the average memoir. It’s informed by Galina’s and her parents’ lessons on the value of art and culture and enriched by Alëna’s beautifully constructed images and Galina’s poetry." – Herb Randall, LA Review of Books Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour is a heartfelt mother-and-daughter memoir about three generations of women and their fight to leave Soviet Russia. A mother is a dissident, a refusenik, and a prisoner in Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) in the 1970s and '80s. Her daughter, eleven years old, is left without a family. A grandmother is in the USA, waiting for her daughter and granddaughter and not knowing if she'll ever see them again. "I am fine," the three of them write to each other in their letters. How can you be "fine" when you have to fight to survive? When you must be silent? When the place that you love turns against you? Told from the dual points of view, this memoir shows the reality of life in the Soviet Union, giving an insider’s perspective on the roots of Putin’s Russia. It is also a coming-of-age story, heartfelt and funny, a testament to the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters, and the healing power of art. 2022 National Jewish Book Award Finalist in Autobiography & Memoir; 2022 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist; and a 2022 WNBA Great Group Reads Selection "Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour is more ambitious than the average memoir. It's informed by Galina's and her parents' lessons on the value of art and culture and enriched by Alëna's beautifully constructed images and Galina's poetry." – Herb Randall, LA Review of Books Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour traces Yelena Lembersky's childhood in Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) in the 1970s and '80s. Her life is upended when her family decides to emigrate to America, but instead her mother is charged with a crime and unjustly incarcerated. Told in the dual points of view, this memoir is a clear-eyed look at the reality of life in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, giving us an insider's perspective on the roots of contemporary Russia. It is also a coming-of-age story, heartfelt and funny, a testament to the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters, and the healing power of art. Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour: in Soviet Russia is a memoir that traces the lives of a girl, Alёna, her mother and her grandmother, and their quest to preserve the legacy of Alёna's late grandfather, a prominent artist who depicted the Holocaust. For years his canvases are locked away in their apartment with no hope of being exhibited because of art policies of the state. When the family decides to emigrate the unexpected happens: Alёna's father refuses to let her go, her grandmother leaves alone with the paintings, and her mother is accused of a fabricated crime and incarcerated. She serves her sentence at the notorious Kresti prison, Sablino labor camp, and as an exile with compulsory labor in Gorky. The wonder of childhood and motherhood persists amid their battles, and three generations of women call on their resilience to find their way back to one another. Narrated in the voices of the girl and her mother, their shifting perspectives creates a vivid view of women and girls in Leningrad of the '70s and '80s Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour: Memories of Soviet Russia traces Yelena Lembersky's childhood in Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) in the 1970s and '80s. Her life is upended when her family decides to emigrate to America, but instead her mother is charged with a crime and unjustly incarcerated.