Book of the month 2005

© Diana TB

In the beginning of the nineties eleven-year-old Anja and her Russian Jewish family left St Petersburg to become quota refugees in Germany. Initially accommodated in a hostel for resettlers, they are soon confronted with everyday life as resettlers in Germany.

"My white nights" tells Anja's ups and downs: her first day at school in Germany, German girlfriends, who cannot be brought home, because home is one bedroom in a hostel for resettlers, and that is embarrassing. Her first love, Ilja, who lives in the same hostel with his family, knows and understands her every-day life. Later the family finds jobs and moves into an apartment. Ilja leaves Anja. She begins her studies in Munich, where she meets Jan, an affectionate and considerate man. But then Ilja comes back and turns her world upside down.

Gorelik describes the life between two cultures with loving ease and humour. When Anja goes on a Sunday trip with Jan's family and no one is speaking a word, she concludes that there must be a family disagreement, as in her family you wouldn't have time to answer all the questions asked by the relatives. Her emotional Russian mother, who rings her children every day to make sure that they had their dinner, Anja's grandmother, who is totally immersed in her memories of St. Petersburg and doesn't perceive her life in Germany, are a total contrast to a German idea of a parent-child relationship.

"My white nights" is an amusing, entertaining book, with the author managing to portray the insight of the protagonist and the perils of her double identity.

AK

Bibliographic Details
German	English Translation
Hardcover: Gorelik, Lena: Meine weissen Nächte. Schirmer Graf, Müchen, 2004 ISBN 3-86555-010-X EUR 18,80	Hardcover: Not available yet.
Paperback: Gorelik, Lena: Meine weissen Nächte. Diana TB, München, 2006 ISBN 3-453-35106-1 EUR 8,95	Paperback: Not available yet.
Audio-CD: Noch nicht verfügbar.