The Unravelling of Maria by F J Curlew
Maria's history is a lie. Washed up on the shores of Sweden in 1944 with no memory, she was forced to create her own. Half a century later she still has no idea of who she really is.
Jaak fights for Estonia's independence, refusing to accept the death of his fiancee, Maarja, whose ship was sunk as she fled across the Baltic Sea to escape the Soviet invasion. Angie knows exactly who she is. A drug addict. A waste of space. Life is just about getting by. A chance meeting in Edinburgh's Cancer Centre is the catalyst for something very different. Sometimes all you need is someone who listens.
The Unravelling of Maria is upmarket fiction told through three voices, Jaak an Estonian Forest Brother, captured by the Soviets and sent to a gulag in Kolyma, Maarja, his fiancee who fled in 1944 as the Soviets were about to invade, and Angie, a young Scottish drug addict. In Edinburgh, 1987, Maarja and Angie meet in the Cancer Centre and the unravelling begins.
Author Bio
Fiona worked as an international school teacher for fifteen years, predominantly in Eastern Europe. Seven of those years were spent in Estonia – a little country she fell in love with. She now lives in East Lothian, Scotland, where her days are spent walking her dog, Brockie the Springer, and writing.
The Unravelling Of Maria is her fourth novel.
Author website
@FJCurlew
Review
I adored this book and the characters of Maria, Angie and Jaak. This is a sweeping love story that takes us from the end of the Second World War to present day in both Scotland and Estonia. It so well plotted and the historical aspects of the book are completely on point. The pacing of the book is a slow walk through these peoples lives, with aspects being teased out slowly but towards the end of the book I couldn’t wait for the final resolution.
The narrative of this book is completely up my street. I studied Soviet and Baltic history at university and I forgot how much I enjoyed learning about the Singing Revolution and the line of people holding hands throughout the whole length of the Baltic states. It has certainly made me want to visit Estonia after the pandemic is over. I have always wanted to see it. I would have liked to have seen more of Jaak journey after the camp but that’s just probably me being a history geek! I had forgotten all about the Forest Brothers and their role in fighting for an independent Estonia. I felt that the book portrayed the excitement and hope with came about with Glasnost and perestroika and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Estonia in fact paved the way for its collapse as it was the first country to declare independence and have it informally acknowledged by Western states. It must have been an inspiring time to live through, the feeling of hope. Anyway I could babble on about this for ages so I will stop now….
The character of Maria was complex and mysterious at times. The development of her self-confidence was great to see after the death of her husband. It must be terrible to lose your memories and then have it jolted in such a way. The idea of Maria and Angie forming a bond at the local cancer centre was definitely unique and I am glad they found each other. There were many parallels in their lives but from first appearances you would never realise that. Angie and Maria both had a sadness to them at the start of the book and it was incredible to see how this developed throughout the book. Also special shout out to Albie - I was reading this whilst my own border terrier was on my lap!
I would really encourage you to read this book - you learn a lot about Baltic history but presented in an entertaining way. It is such a heart-warming book for something that dwells on quite dark periods of history, drug addiction, abuse both physical and mental. Easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.
