The Sisters of the Winter Wood, RENA ROSSNER

Svaka obitelj ima svoje tajne… a svaka tajna priča svoju priču.

U malom selu u zagrljaju duboke šume, u miroljubivoj zajednici kršćana i židova, sestre Liba i Laya odrastaju u poznatoj i dragoj im sigurnosti svakodnevice s majkom i ocem. No kada nekoliko misterioznih muškaraca stigne u mjesto, Laya će pasti pod njihov utjecaj, unatoč majčinim upozorenjima da se valja čuvati stranaca. A oni nisu jedina opasnost koja vreba iz šume…

Dok se mračne sile spuštaju na njihovo selo, Liba i Laya morat će ponijeti težak teret obiteljskih tajni i nasljeđa koja se stoljećima prenose s koljena na koljeno. Suočene s čarobnom ostavštinom svojih predaka, otkrit će da su prastare bajke istinite… a u njima možda leži i tajna njihova spasenja.

The Sisters of the Winter Wood je čarobna, slojevita, duboka knjiga. Jedna od onih bajki za odrasle kod kojih u svakom čitanju otkrijete neko novo značenje pa bilježite citate, vraćate im se, razmišljate o njima i na kraju se čudite kako je autorica uspjela povezati toliko različitih segmenata u jedno koherentno, napeto, pametno štivo. Stare slavenske bajke i mitovi ovdje su isprepletene sa nasljeđem, običajima i tragičnim progonima židovskog naroda. Istovremeno, to je i priča o obitelji, o ljubavi, povjerenju, pripadanju; o izdaji i oprostu, o grijehu i iskupljenju, o ženskom položaju u društvu i borbi za prava.

Što god da dalje krenem pisati, samo ću ponavljati ono što je već divno napisala Life&Socks u recenziji koju možete pročitati ovdje: https://lifesocks.blog/2019/11/01/sisters-of-the-winter-wood-rena-rossner/?fbclid=IwAR2KunGpTZGcelzQ1fT6g-mFExPvf3VkCYNWanAH488xnCNs3ANHnjMowAQ

Od mene topla preporuka, uz samo dio citata koje sam marljivo putem spremala:

“If you want to know the history of a town, read the gravestones in its cemetery.”

“But I don’t hear God in the silence – I hear myself.”

“Although I love Tati’s stories and his answers, I wonder why a small voice is a daughter’s voice. Sometimes I wish my voice could be loud – like a roar.”

“Saint Anna didn’t walk with God – she knew she wasn’t made for perfection; she never tried to fit a pattern that didn’t fit her. She didn’t waste her time trying to smooth herself into something she wasn’t. She was powerful because she forged her own path.”

“Tati always says that every heart has its secrets, and it is not our role in life to try and uncover them. I’ve uncovered my parents’ secrets, and more terrifying than anything, I think that means I have a secret too.”

“Sometimes you know when you don’t belong, but you don’t know how to leave.”

“Sometimes you become what you need to be in a time of great need.”

“Know this – anything is possible, Liba, anything. There are lots of different kinds of beasts in the world, and the Kodari holds many secrets. People are not always what they seem. And you are more powerful than you’ve ever dreamed.”

“You can fly, dochka, don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t. But always be wary of what, and who, you leave behind.”

“You know our history… Wherever the Jews go, the land prospers, but somehow the land finds a way to spit us out.” “It’s not the land,” he says. “It’s the people.”

“(…) maybe trust is the most powerful gift that anyone can give you.”

“I am powerful in my own way, and I do know my own mind. I got so lost in trying to take care of everyone else that I forgot to take care of myself. It’s my turn now.”

“That’s not how you treat a woman.” I raise my voice. “That’s not how you treat anyone. You don’t get to decide my future. (…) I don’t care whose daughter I am. My father doesn’t get to decide my future either. Only I can make that decision.”

“You do not protect people by ruling over them, by telling them what to do. (…) Sometimes protecting someone means letting them go, letting them live their own lives. Respecting their beliefs.”