Used Book – Purge - PRIX FEMINA ETRANGER 2010, Sofi Oksanen, Sébastien Cagnoli

"A true masterpiece. A marvel.

I hope that all true readers of the world will read Purge." Nancy Huston In 1992, the Soviet Union collapsed and the Estonian population celebrated the departure of the Russians. But old Aliide, she fears looting and lives holed up in her house, deep in the countryside.

So, when she finds Zara in her garden, a young woman who seems in great distress, she hesitates to open her door to her. These two women will get to know each other, and a heavy family secret will be revealed, linked to the past of the Soviet occupation and the love Aliide felt for Hans, a resistance fighter. The old lady will then decide to protect Zara to the end, whatever the cost.

Sofi Oksanen seizes history to build a haunting family tragedy. Breathtaking like a Hitchcock film, her novel raises several fascinating questions: can one live in an occupied country without compromising oneself? What judgment can be passed on these betrayals or acts of collaboration once the weight of coercion has disappeared?

Questions that cannot but strongly resonate in the minds of French readers.