I have a type. Well, if the posts on this site are anything to go by, I suppose I have two types: classic literature and historical fiction.
While this is certainly not off the mark -these are two of my favorite genres- I do, in fact, like a wide variety of "types". As I'm going through my lists of recommendations from over the years, though, I'm beginning to notice some patterns, which include my most recent read. A Long, Long Time Ago & Essentially True by Brigid Pasulka tells two stories linked together by one family, spanning over fifty years in 20th century Poland.
In a small village in the Polish highlands in the late 1930s, we meet the "Pigeon", a young 20-something man so nicknamed for his beaky nose, and Anielica Hetmanska, the village beauty in her late teens. A gifted builder and craftsman, the Pigeon offers to make some improvements to the Hetmanski house -free of charge- in order to win the favor of both Anielica and her family. After successfully doing so, the Pigeon earns the right to begin courting Anielica.
But war is on the horizon as Nazi Germany invades Poland and the Pigeon and Anielica -along with the entire village- must put their plans on hold. With the Pigeon working clandestinely in the Polish resistance, plans of marriage and a life together are delayed. The end of the war doesn't bring peace, though; the exodus of the German soldiers is merely the precursor to a Soviet invasion.
We alternate chapter by chapter between this love story and the post-Soviet Krakow of "New Poland" in the early 1990s. Anielica and the Pigeon's granddaughter, Beata, has recently moved from her native village to Krakow after tragedy strikes at home. After moving in with her cousin Irena and Irena's daughter Magda, Beata discovers that finding her place in their home and in the New Poland in which she finds herself is not without its challenges.
In A Long, Long Time Ago & Essentially True, Pasulka seamlessly weaves together these two separate tales of love, loss, tragedy, and triumph, linking them together with an unforgettable culmination that will remain with readers long after the final page. The unexpected twists and turns the story takes reflect the same surprises we encounter in reality. [Side note: I know it is another story with WWII as a backdrop but, honestly, it really is just a backdrop and a only a fraction of the story itself.] Her story is not without drama, but it is perhaps the quiet moments experienced by the lovable protagonists that are the most meaningful. A novel that is difficult to put down in and of itself, it makes for an even quicker read at only 351 pages.
From the dust jacket: "Whimsical, wise, beautiful, magical, and sometimes heartbreaking, A Long, Long Time ago and Essentially True weaves together two remarkable stories, reimagining half a century of Polish history through the legacy of one unforgettable love affair."
Agreed.
