Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me: Two Women's Journeys from War-Torn Europe to a New Life in Australia (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781761471322)

When she breaks an unspoken family code not to dig too deep into the past, Andra is plunged into the bleak world of the Soviet and Nazi occupations of Latvia in World War II, and secret lives of her grandmothers.

As children, we'd sneak into Grandma's bedroom on secret missions. Her cupboard was filled with old fur coats, strange woven folk costumes and small mountains of glowing amber. We were half-scared, made breathless by our discoveries, but knew we hadn't seen it all, hadn't understood what was really hidden there.

Teenage Aline is separated from her parents and sent to serve in Germany's war-time labor force. With the much-feared Soviet army on her doorstep, pregnant Milda embarks on a desperate winter escape with her young son. They face heart-wrenching decisions and endure years of hardship before finally voyaging to Australia. Among the tight-knit Latvian migrant community, Aline and Milda forge new lives. But even there, reminders of wartime scandal and grief threaten to drag them under.

'Anyone with untold stories flowing through their DNA will find home and understanding here. I felt my own grandmother speaking to me...' - Amy Remeikis, journalist, The Guardian

'Deeply moving, brilliantly crafted and powerfully written' - Biff Ward

Author: Andra Putnis
ISBN-10: 1761471325
ISBN-13: 9781761471322
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Language: English
Published: 07/02/2024
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback