The Betrayal
By Helen Dunmore
Grove Press 2011
327 pages
From the library
Andrei and Anna have survived the terrible siege of Leningrad. They have lived through a war that seemed as if it would never end and barely fought off the starvation and frozen temperatures that accompanied it. They are looking forward to some semblance of peace, perhaps an echo of the normal lives they lived before the war. But they are still living in dangerous times. At the hospital where Andrei works, a young boy is brought in for treatment. The doctors fear it is a tumor but no one is willing to tell the boy's father, who is a high-ranking military official. When the boy and his father take a special interest in Andrei, does this guarantee the tiny family some security...or has Andrei introduced them to a whole new kind of danger?
I was eager to read this book because it is set in a different time and place than most of the historical fiction I read. While I find myself picking up many books set during WWII in England or Germany, I have not read many novels set in Russia and I can't recall any that were set during this period after the war. While The Betrayal is technically a sequel to the novel The Siege, you can read this book by itself without confusion.
Dunmore excels at depicting the paranoia and fear that order every decision these characters make. Anna takes on more work at the nursery school because to refuse would be to draw unwanted attention. Andrei agonizes over taking this case and then worries over every interaction he has with his young patient and his powerful father. Anna fears that her brother Kolya playing the piano will make the neighbors angry enough to file false reports. Thinking about the possible repercussions of each and every decision creates a heavy burden that each character carries throughout the novel.
After everything they have been through, Andrei and Anna take very different positions about the way they should live their lives. Andrei still believes in the good of people and in doing the right thing. Anna is suspicious of everyone and everything, still not convinced that they have achieved any real security. This leads to a lot of tension in the little family, but it also makes the few moments of true peace and joy that much more poignant.
The Betrayal is a great book. Ms. Dunmore has done so much more than create compelling characters and an engaging story. As you read, you can almost feel the chill of a Russian winter and the weight of paranoia that constantly accompanies Anna and Andrei.
The Betrayal is a great book. Ms. Dunmore has done so much more than create compelling characters and an engaging story. As you read, you can almost feel the chill of a Russian winter and the weight of paranoia that constantly accompanies Anna and Andrei.
