Purge

The title word of the book appears once in the (English edition) text. Aliide and her sister and niece are on the way home from a terrible night. Her sister Ingel tells her to ‘purge' her face of the tears and snot that cover it. Before they all would enter into their home, pretending nothing terrible had happened to them.

The female characters in this novel have a lot terrible things happen to them, and out of shame or fear they decide to hide it. They recognize the truth in the eyes of women who've lived through the same.

My second Oksanen, and again it's quite a thriller of a novel, featuring female protagonists living through rough times in Eastern Europe. I learned a lot about Estonia.

Wow, in the end Aliide had quite the body count on her conscience.

''The silence has been peculiar that year-expectant, yet at the same time like the aftermath of a storm''.

Once in a while, there are books that leave you powerless. Books that rise beyond any attempt of reviewing, that intimidate you and make you feel that whatever words you may use, they are bound to be mundane, detrimental, inadequate. Sofi Oksnanen's Purge is such a book.

I have it as my personal principle to make no judgement regarding historical events. Human History is made of endless conflicts, wars and oppression. It has always been thus, it will never change. All hope and eulogies that man remembers the sins of the past to avoid repeating them are extinguished. Therefore, this is my inadequate attempt to write a review focusing on language, feelings and characters. To make a judgement regarding whose fault is what is not my place.

There is an outstanding opening sequence where we witness the battle between Aliide and a fly. Flies are constantly present in the book. What do they stand for? Perhaps, the dirt that fills Allide and Zara's lives. Perhaps they are a symbolism for the dream that is impossible to fulfill or the horror that is impossible to kill.Perhaps, the constant buzzing in an echo of the constant buzzing in Aliide's heart, her unreceprocated feelings for Hans. Flies, onions and soil are vivid images in the book. This is a novel that doesn't rely heavily on dialogue, but on images and musings of the troubled souls of the two women that are the focus of the story.

The headings before each chapter give an almost fairy-tale quality in the narration.But it is a dark, twisted, hellish tale. The language is raw, ferocious like the heart of Aliide, but beautiful in its bleakness. There are many raw descriptions of violent sexual nature,and this is exactly why Purge has such an impact on the reader. They are not there to shock for the sake of it, nor for the sake of sexposition. Their purpose is to make us understand the humiliation of gilrs like Zara, the falsehood of great dreams that are born under the despair of oppression.

It is hard to focus on any other character than Aliide. She is the heart of the story, our eyes to everything that unfolds. I cannot place her as a good or a bad character, she is a human being, full of coflicts and fears, and hopes that are always thwarted. Her love is an obsession that causes pain. Personally, I don't believe that Hans deserved her adoration. I don't see him as someone worthy of the sacrifice, he is not likeable at all. His diary reveils his ingratitude towards Aliide's efforts. Ingel is a character devoid of soul,she is the princess that does everything right and is always loved unconditionally. Still, I wonder whether we are meant to see her that way, since our only source is Aliide, a quite unreliable narrator.

Zara is the representation of the present, while Aliide is the past. However, Oksanen shows that nothing has changed. The oppression, persecution and exploitation of the women remain the same throught the decades. It doesn't matter what the political situation is, it doesn't matter what your nationality is, you are in danger beause you are a woman, because others see you as weak, vulnerable and vile.

It is impossible to choose the most powerful scenes. I believe that we have a novel where every chapter matters, every moment is a small storm leading to the catharsis of the end, the moment when freedom becomes tangible, however briefly or tragically.

This is one of the rare cases where I watched the film adaptation before I read the book, so I knew what to expect. Despite this, I was shocked, there were moments when I quickly skipped over to the next page. Purge is a novel that everyone should read. It contains every horror that mankind has created, war , violence, exploitation, hatred, despair. It also contains love. Love as a source of hope, love as a desructive force. Only I refrain from passing a quick judgement for Aliide. Who knows what one would do in her place...

''The crows were screaming like lunatics in the yard.''

3.5 stars I'm a little disappointed because I thought this would be a 4 or 5 star, but I still highly recommend it. Le début est très accrocheur, j'étais impatiente de voir comment la relation entre Aliide et Zara allait se développer... Mais en fait on voit très peut de leurs interactions. J'aurais aimé en apprendre d'avantage sur Zara et vraiment moins sur Aliide. Je l'ai trouvée froide et égoïste; toutes les actions qu'elle a posées dans le passé étaient calculées pour SA survie. Je peux pas comprendre pourquoi elle en veut tant à sa soeur... Sinon c'est un excellent ‘glimpse' sur la vie rurale dans le temps des conflits communistes/fascistes.