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Title details for Who She Left Behind by Victoria Atamian Waterman - Available

Who She Left Behind

by Victoria Atamian Waterman
ebook
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1 of 1 copy available

A BookLife Editor's Pick!

"Who She Left Behind" is a captivating historical fiction novel that spans multiple generations and delves into the emotional lives of its characters.

Set in various time periods, from the declining days of the Ottoman Empire in Turkey to Armenian communities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts during the 1990s, the book provides a deep immersion into a lesser-known era. The story revolves around themes of survival, motherhood, and love, drawing inspiration from the author's own family history. The narrative is framed by a mysterious discovery of Armenian dolls at Victoria's grave many years later, which leads her on a quest for redemption as an immigrant, wife, sister, and aunt.

If you love "The Sandcastle Girls" by Chris Bohjalian, "Orhan's Inheritance" by Aline Ohanesian, "Rise the Euphrates" by Carol Edgarian, or "All The Light There Was" by Nancy Kricorian, then this book is for you!


"Victoria Waterman's captivating debut is a searing, multi-generational account of one family's legacy of love, trauma and resilience. With events unfolding in Massachusetts, modern Turkey and the Syrian desert, Who She Left Behind, is a harrowing tale of the Armenian Genocide which highlights the female voices long since erased or forgotten from history. Waterman breathes life into her characters, mothers and daughters separated and displaced by war, who join forces to uncover and heal historical and familial wounds. Her sumptuous writing and uncommon wisdom about the human spirit will haunt readers as much as it beguiles them. Who She Left Behind is a book about the beauty and terror of what it means to be human." - Aline Ohanesian, author of "Orhan's Inheritance"





  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 17, 2023

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781962465021

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781962465021
      • File size: 1782 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 18, 2024
      This touching multigenerational story of women facing trauma over decades draws readers to the harrowing journey of Victoria Karadelian, a survivor of the Armenian genocide, as she navigates the challenges of displacement, loss, and the quest for a new life. Losing her father and brothers in the war, Vicky and her remaining family face exile to Aleppo, Syria, only to be further separated as she becomes a maid in the Yavuz household—a situation she needs to escape from. "That was how it was,” observes Waterman’s narrator. “People moved on, or they were moved along.” Spanning continents and generations, the story eventually turns on the discovery of a pair of Armenian dolls buried in a gravesite, holding the potential to reunite lost families and begging to heal an enduring intergenerational trauma.

      Historical authenticity is a standout feature of Waterman’s debut, as Who She Left Behind expertly delves into Armenian heritage, while the striking descriptions imbue this Aleppo with cultural richness and a vivid sense of the textures of life, from Ascension Day feasts to the intoxicating feel of a waltz. These ties connect the characters to the lost threads of generations over decades. Waterman brings insight and empathy to this cast, who emerge as complex and convincing people. Like her mother, Vicky shares the burden of shame from her fate in the Yavuz household. Determined to keep her secrets to her grave, she inadvertently creates an invisible divide between herself and her family—one that, decades later, her niece Rose is determined to resolve.
      Distinguished by brisk storytelling and a deftly handled interplay between past and present, Waterman’s novel portrays with power the dynamics of trauma and abuse faced by displaced women. Who She Left Behind is a moving story of a refugee's legacy and motherhood, extending beyond familial lineage to encompass the exploration of intergenerational trauma, displacement, and survival that readers of sweeping, thoughtful novels will find resonant.
      Takeaway: A generational story of exile, displacement, and motherhood in a foreign land.
      Comparable Titles: Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns, Kate Morton's The Secret Keeper.
      Production grades
      Cover: A
      Design and typography: A-
      Illustrations: N/A
      Editing: A
      Marketing copy: A-

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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