Siblings

[Librarian Laci]

We see a powerful connection between sisters in this story. Lilia’s sister Natasha never gives up searching for her and Alyona acts as a surrogate mother to Sophia, comforting her while being taken and held hostage. At only 11 and 8, Alyona is already depicted as a mini-mother to Sophia. Did you have a sibling relationship like this? For me, I became a big sister when I was 12, so I very much identified with Alyona’s characterization of straddling the roles of sister and mother figure.

[Michelle]

This is likely something that happens for most first-borns, no? I had no gap remotely akin to yours, Laci, but as the eldest of four I was always “responsible”—and as with Alyona, it felt especially restrictive as I entered my early teens. Greeks are extremely sociable, constantly celebrating friends with food, drink, music, dance... It thus seemed that my parents were never at home on weekend nights; but I certainly was, always stuck babysitting! O, woe was I.... Until we all became old enough to be out celebrating life right along with them!

[Kerry]

My older brother, by 18 months always looked out for me! I of course wanted to follow him around and do everything he did well into grade school. I in turn felt like another mother to my sisters, 4 & 5 years younger than me. I always wanted to make sure they were OK. We were all close siblings as children and are very close as adults.

[Lorraine]

As the baby in our family I would have been more in Sophia’s role. But I don’t remember my sisters protecting me much. I think they thought they had to do all the work and felt I was spoiled. As we became adults, my sisters loved telling stories of how they used to blindfold me when I was little and watch me walk around bumping into furniture. They would laugh and laugh. But it all turned out fine. I became a big protector of my nieces and nephews and my sisters and I are like three peas in a pod. I wouldn’t have wanted to be kidnapped with them though.

[Retta]

My elder sister was 9 years old when I was born so I was the lucky one who had my Mom and Sister Mom. I definitely a Sophia because my older sister was very protective of me and was probably was more strict than my parents. Today and even in our childhood years the incidence of childhood abduction/kidnapping is still a very low number by strangers in the USA, but one abduction is not acceptable. Stranger Danger classes needed to be taught to the
Kamchatka children, but then we would not had this riveting novel.