Soviet Milk

By Nora Ikstena, Margita Gailitis (translator),

Book cover of Soviet Milk

Book description

The literary bestseller that took the Baltics by storm now published for the first time in English.

This novel considers the effects of Soviet rule on a single individual. The central character in the story tries to follow her calling as a doctor. But then the state steps in. She…


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Why read it?

1 author picked Soviet Milk as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has brought many of the shortcomings of the West into focus, and the warnings of Russian Neo-imperialism by countries that experienced Russian or Soviet occupation in the past, like the Baltic States or Poland.

For us in the West, it is often difficult to understand how the intricacies of dictatorship and oppression played out in the daily lives of the people in these countries.

So I'm glad I read Nora Ikstena's wonderful novel, which charts the journey of Latvia from occupation in 1944 to independence in 1989 by following the often sad but…

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