“Bezmozgis captures the emigrant experience perfectly while telling a moving story. In the 1970’s a small crack opened in the Iron Curtin surrounding the Soviet Union. Jewish families headed through the breach into new lives in the West. The Krasnansky family brings three generations to live in a strange new land. Samuil, the patriarch, was a respected communist with a chest full of decorations to prove his service to his country. He is not at all eager to leave, but his sons are determined, and he knows he would not be viewed the same once they are gone. Karl, the eldest, is ready to do what it takes to make a good future for his sons and wife. Alec has charm to burn and a fun-loving spirit, but he sees life as a game. Polina is a gentile from a good family who may have risked too much marrying Alec. As the family struggles to navigate the bureaucracy of emigration, they encounter unimagined challenges.”—Deon Stonehouse, Sunriver Books & Music, Sunriver, OR
Face Out
The Free World by David Bezmozgis
April 27, 2011