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Back A Train to Moscow: A Novel Save as PDF
Chapters (59)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. ACT 1 IVANOVO
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. ACT 2 MOSCOW
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. ACT 3 LENINGRAD
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. ACT 4 IVANOVO-LENINGRAD
  46. 38
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 41
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  58. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
  59. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

He will wait for Sasha to approach and hold her in his embrace. “Sashenka,” he will say, her name as soft as his cheek. “I’m so happy you’ve come.” He will smell of their Ivanovo life: of summer dust and lilacs, of the wood-burning stove, of their evening tea with little crystal bowls of black currant jam. This is when Grandma will pour boiling water from a samovar into a good cup with a pattern of roses, a cup that has been waiting for him all these years since he left for the front. This is when Mama will open her arms and press Sasha into the pillows of her breasts, making sobs erupt from a deep well inside her, making tears run down her face and leave wet spots on her mother’s dress with a red apple print she remembers so well. “Vsyo budet khorosho,” Mama will say, her voice like the tea with sugar in Kolya’s cup. “All will be well,” she’ll say, healing her with the warmth of her embrace, and this time, despite her stubbornness and doubt, Sasha will believe her.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

These books provided an immersion into the times of the story in the novel:

Svetlana Alexievich. Secondhand Time, Penguin Random House, 2016

Nikolai Nikulin. Memories of the War (in Russian), Hermitage Publishing, 2007

Antony Beevor and Luba Vinogradova. A Writer at War: Vasily Grossman with the Red Army, 1941–1945, Pantheon Books, 2005

I am deeply grateful to my agent, Molly Friedrich, who shaped this first novel and, with grace and humor, guided me through the minefield of writing fiction. My gratitude also goes to my editor, Alicia Clancy, whose exacting eye trimmed and enriched the story and who saw its title hiding in plain sight.

My appreciation goes to my early readers Heather Carr, Zoe Kharpertian, Liliane Gold, Nadia Carey, Mervyn Rothstein, and Rachel Basch for their honesty and support. A special thank-you to Barbara Jones for her invaluable suggestions of revisions.

This novel would not be possible without my sister, Marina, whose stories about Ivanovo, Theater, and acting laid the foundation of this story. I dedicate this book to her.

And finally, spasibo to my husband, Andy, who patiently read the countless iterations of this novel, for his loving encouragement and plainspoken advice.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS