CHILDREN OF THE VOLGA by Guzel Yakhina

This is the life story of a German school teacher, Jakob Bach, who settled along the Volga river in Russia during the 20th century.

There are two narratives happening in parallel, first comes Bach’s personal story who falls in love with a student without being able to imagine the tragedies they will be exposed to, and secondly the story of what happened to all the German settlers during the First and Second World War.

It was fascinating to see how fluid and vivid the story writing was, going from almost fairytale love to the real and cruel realities of war-time Russia.

The ending of the book was totally unexpected, Bach’s life did change drastically as a result of being a witness to this historical calamity.

There was just so much to be absorbed in, from the graphic descriptions of Volga, seasons, characters to the journey itself portraying life, both simple and complex, full of pain, anger, grief but also love, happiness and belief.

"I wanted to tell about the bright, original, and lively world of the German Volga region, about a world that once upon a time was created by outsiders in a foreign country, and is now lost in the past. But this is also a story about how great love breeds fears in our hearts and at the same time helps them overcome."