THE RED SCARF – Kate Furnivall
Berkley
ISBN: 978-0-425-22164-8
June 2008
Historical Fiction

Davinsky Labor Camp, Siberia; and Tivil, in the Ural Mountains of Russia - 1933

Deep in the frozen wilderness of Siberian Russia, Anna Fedorina and Sophia Morozova fight for survival. Imprisoned in a Soviet labor camp and forced into slavery, these women live day by day just on sheer will. Anna, Sophia, and countless other women are imprisoned simply for the crime of existing. The days are hard. Long marches to their work site, miles away across frozen ground in the winter and mosquito laden swamps in the summer. This trek is difficult, to say the least, especially wearing ragged clothing, having no coat, or gloves, or proper shoes; their weakened and frail bodies are the products of starvation. But survive they do. Each day after the long walk back to the prison, they stand in a lineup for hours on end until the guards choose to perform the nightly roll call before they're finally sent off to their wooden plank bunks where they sleep five abreast. Their dinner ration depends on the amount of work they can coax their weak bodies into doing; moving rocks with almost bare hands in the frozen tundra is nearly beyond their ability. They look forward to the evenings when the tiniest crust of bread and a fresh-caught mouse comprise their meal. At the end of the day, sitting on the cold floor, leaning against the rough wood walls of their barracks, is the best of all times, and Anna and Sophia huddle together, talk, and dream of escape.

Anna barely survives. Her body is racked with illness, her lungs struggle with each breath of air, but she tells all the women stories while they march back to the barracks at the end of each day. And as Sophia listens to Anna's stories, she sees a spark of hope on the horizon. Anna tells of her past, of days spent in her home and in the company of her father's friends, the Dyuzheyevs, whose son Vasily is Anna's romantic hero. With each story Anna relates, Sophia herself becomes more and more enamored of Vasily, and is determined to escape, find him, and bring him back to rescue Anna. Finally, the day comes when Sophia breaks free and runs for her life. Just like they planned, she follows the river, across the frozen land, heading north, bound for the village of Tivil in the Ural Mountains, where Anna believes Vasily is now living. Many months and many narrow escapes later, Sophia finally arrives in Tivil, spurred on by her promise to Anna. She meets a kind old gypsy, Rafik, who takes her into his home. But Sophia has no identity papers; if the State police find her, she will die.

Long ago Anna gave the red scarf to her adored Vasily. Sophia must find him now, but how? Convinced that local factory director Mikhail Pashin is actually Vasily in disguise, Sophia begins working to gain Mikhail's trust. But as the months pass by, and she is no nearer to rescuing Anna, she falls in love with Mikhail and with the village of Tivil. Desperate to grab a piece of happiness for herself, Sophia knows she cannot love Mikhail. He belongs to Anna, and she made a promise she will not break, no matter what the cost.

What a wonderful story! THE RED SCARF is a sweeping and epic historical novel, spanning the months following Sophia's escape from the Davinsky Labor Camp and giving us glimpses of the past through snippets of both Anna's and Sophia's memories. Theirs is a totally realistic tale of life under Soviet rule in the early years of communism, and how ordinary people were forced into slavery for the government. This is also the story of a friendship that bonds two people and unites a village. With a multitude of dynamic characters and moving prose, Ms. Furnivall sweeps us inside the Soviet State of 1933 with a deft pen and a superb storytelling gift. Though the pages are many, the chapters are short and the pacing is quick. I guarantee you will not put this novel down until you reach the stunning conclusion. With a little romance, magic, and even mystery, THE RED SCARF will weave its way into your heart as a very special book to be cherished always.

Diana Risso