“Odar: Amrikans”: Denice Peter Karamardian’s poignant family saga
In Amirkans, New Generation for a New World, the stirring conclusion of the Odar trilogy, Denice Peter Karamardian effortlessly weaves together lives and stories, reflecting on family and showing us what makes up this most intimate of inheritances.
Having returned to New York State, Joe and Helen settle with an expanding family on a new farm that supports them and their community through the Depression years. As the children grow into young adulthood, the voices of a new generation begin to tell their stories. Their vastly different memories of the same household attest to the diversity of perspectives, reflecting the family’s growth and transformation.
Against the backdrop of the war, in which five of Joe’s sons serve, eldest daughter Susie and youngest daughter Laura lead their lives and witness unfolding events from separate directions. After the war, the children settle and further expand the family as Joe and Helen move into the twilight of their lives. All the while, Louisa’s son Stepan, recognized by the President of Syria, prepares to attend university and tutor the president’s children in Damascus, beginning a life of achievement and adventure.
Denice Peter Karamardian grew up in Ithaca, New York, thinking she was Syrian—part of the small Syrian community that co-mingled with Greek, Italian and other 20th-century immigrant communities that helped build the little city from the turn of the 20th century. She was partly right. Both of her paternal grandparents came from Syria and spoke Arabic, but at the age of 12, she learned that her grandfather was actually Armenian, and certain mysteries and stories emerged upon his death. Denice spent a lifetime searching for answers and details, and more than a decade putting the journey to paper—her own and her ancestors’.
The result is a trilogy, presented in a hybrid form as historical fiction and part memoir, based entirely upon the true story of the Karamardian family (known locally in Ithaca as the Peter family) across continents, wars and generations. The series is called Odar, which means “other” in Armenian; sometimes it can mean “stranger” or “foreigner”. The author tracks a parallel narration of her own coming of age as it relates to the discoveries she makes in the search for identity. You can learn more about the author and her work at www.denicekaramardian.com.
Visit the following links to purchase Odar: Amirkans and the rest of the trilogy on IALA’s bookstore on Bookshop: Jido, Silence, Amirkans.
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