Who She Left Behind
By Victoria Atamian Waterman
Published by Historium Press in 2023
227 pages
Set in Turkey in the pre-World War I period and Massachusetts and Rhode Island in both the early 1900s and more present day, Who She Left Behind explores themes of survival, resilience and family through the author’s telling of her family’s story. Although it is her story, it represents the stories of many. It is a timeless story, one to take to heart.
The story begins in Gurin in the Ottoman Empire between 1913-1915, then moves along with the Armenian people to Aleppo, Syria, as they adjust to new realities, before they land in the United States. The time frame continues from the 1960s to 1991. The writing is well done, and the story flows between the periods without confusion.
The main characters are the women in Waterman’s family, mostly through Victoria and her sister Yessa. The story continues to surprise as it unfolds. Events in the story move along at a good pace. The story is similar to that of many Armenians who lived in Turkey during the Genocide but remains fresh, personal and not predictable. I constantly wondered what would happen next. I recommend this book to readers of historical fiction, those interested in Middle Eastern or Armenian topics, and anyone who wants to read a well-written and layered book.
This book is both one I very much wanted to read and one that I dreaded starting. I put it off because it appeared this story would cut too closely to the bone and be too much like my family story. Yet Waterman is a master storyteller. Her writing brings the characters to life. Waterman writes of both the difficulties and successes of day-to-day survival. Reading this book was like being invited to a table laden with childhood delights, but of words and memories rather than food.
Elaine Harootunian Reardon
Latest posts by Elaine Harootunian Reardon (see all)
- Book Review | Who She Left Behind - December 4, 2024
Be the first to comment