New Novel "Sydney via Siberia. In Remembrance"

We’ve just commemorated the 80th anniversary of deportations on June 14, 1941, when 15,500 Latvians were sentenced to suffering and death in Siberia. Ināra Strungs’ new novel, Sydney via Siberia (in English) describes the tragic 1941 and 1949 deportations and their effect on a Latvian family decades later in Sydney.

Laimonis Lācis (known in Australia as Lucky), twice deported, arrives from Latvia in the early 2000s to visit his sister, Māra, in Australia. He is now an actor, and Māra—a well-known architect. She missed out on deportation by a quirk of fate and escaped to Sydney, where she is a workaholic to blot out her survivor guilt.

Not having seen each other for sixty years, Laimonis describes what it was really like in the ‘special settlements’ and Gulag with their parents. Māra listens to the account and then experiences something unexpected. Māra’s adult children also listen to the horrific tale. Son, Andy, is a depressive musician with romantic problems. Daughter, Zinta, is a restless activist with an identity crisis about her ethnicity. Their problems are most likely linked to trauma experienced by the previous generation.

This is an informative work based on many true accounts, including those of the author’s relatives. It teaches younger generations and non-Latvians about Latvian history. It also serves to honour the deportees and reminds us of the unspeakable crimes against humanity so they are never, ever repeated.

(The book is available from Amazon, Book Depository and other internet bookstores).