A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra

I have never read a book that at times I was laughing and horrified on the same page. The ugliness of war set the stage for this story even as it is the story of love and survival. The thread that binds the stories of the people who live in the 379 pages is the mystery of Natasha that means everything to Sonja. 

If you could look at life from above as it unfolds and could see the way people weave into and out of each others lives, see the invisible threads that connect people in ways they may never know you would have Marra's story. 

The words on the page are beautiful even as they describe brutality and ugliness. I know this sounds like it isn't possible, but trust me it is. 

I found this read a slow burn...I am not sure when it happened but at some point during my reading I because invested and emotionally stricken. I didn't want to put it down but I had to so I could breathe and believe for a few minutes that everyone and everything would be ok. 

The story of Haava and Sonja takes places over 5 days but the chapters jump back and forth in time and woven into the story are little pieces of where the future takes the people in the story. None of them are like abrupt breaks in the story but are subtle images of life yet to come. 

(finished December 28, 2015)