The Snow Hare
As Lena, the heroine of The Snow Hare, lies dying, her memory travels from the peaceful hills of Wales to her native Poland, a country riven by the tragedies and injustices of occupation and war. Although she has made a life for herself and her family on a British farm, Lena is, in these final days, transported back to her Polish youth when she dreamt of studying medicine and becoming a doctor. A shocking accident put an end to her ambition, and Lena allowed her parents to bully her into marriage with Anton, a soldier. Anton swears never to touch his wife, but he breaks his promise, and Lena soon discovers that she is pregnant. Although she never wanted children, she turns into a devoted mother after giving birth to little Agatha.
All too soon, the Soviet occupation of Poland upends her newfound happiness. After the Russians arrest Lena’s husband, she, her child, and her family are deported to a Siberian labor camp where the conditions are so desperate, inmates regard death as a release. But unexpectedly for Lena, the surrounding woods turn into a place of enchantment, where she encounters the love of her life. When her lover falls gravely ill, she uses her medical knowledge to nurse him. But far greater trials await Lena, and tragedy strikes just as the Soviet government decides she is no longer considered an enemy of the state.
The Snow Hare is a moving portrayal of the plight of the Polish people in the 20th century, a story about the human capacity for hope, love, and redemption in the direst circumstances. The parts of the novel taking place in snow-swept Siberia are spellbinding. A soul-stirring novel, despite the horrors depicted on its pages.
