Living in a war torn land brings out the best and worst out of humanity. In his novel A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, Anthony Marra beautifully captures his characters’ hopes, dreams, and loss. The novel is not about life in Chechnya, but how strangers bond over challenging times. Though not strangers, Akmed rescues little Havaa after her father is taken away and her home is burned down. Akmed comes to Sonja for help, even though he only knows her through her reputation as a doctor. Together, they find ways to survive, both physically and spiritually.
Today is book club day for our June pick. Join our book club members as we discuss A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. Head over to their sites and read what themes resonated for them:
- Rebecca from Life of an Army Wife identifies with the characters’ PTSD
- Ashley at Bunker Memoirs of a Modern Day Wife shares her curiousity and her grief
- Jennifer Wolfe of mamawolfe learned lessons from the game of Risk
- Janaki from More Than Four Sides mends her sister strife
- Kim Werker at Kimagination Station offers gratitude to her neighbors
- Bay of Queen Mother Blog is the opposite of her sister
- Michelle from Honest & Truly! reminds us that each child is different
- Julia Coney at All About the Pretty always wanted a sister
- Melanie of tales from the crib confesses that her kids are mysteries
- Julie from A Good Joe is strong enough
- Catherine at everyday epiphanies learns more about Chechnya
- Robin (noteverstill) of The Not-Ever-Still Life remembers a dragon and a friend
- Cindy Fey from We All Fall Down remembers her family
- Thien-Kim at I’m Not the Nanny honors her passion for art
- Brenda Bartella Peterson of Grit and Grace shares the story of her namesake
- Lisa from Hannemaniacs stopped watching a violent television show
- Tasha at Frozen OJ can relate to Ula, the bedridden character from the novel
Don’t forget to grab your copy of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena.You can also follow Anthony Marra on Twitter.
About Thien-Kim
This book! Oh my word, it knocked my socks off. I have a review coming up for it soon
I’ll keep an eye out for your review! Are you going to BEA or BEA Blogger?