Ruth Zelig's 3 favorite reads in 2025

This book is a classic. What does that mean? Dostoyevsky created a story and characters that are so complex, and a story development that is intricate, unpredictable, and most of all unexpected. Happy endings are not necessarily always satisfying, and an unexpected ending is not necessarily always disappointing. It's like life. The writing, the psychology of characters, the story development is complex. And although this is set in another century and another continent/country, the people and the story are universal. Evil is not cut and dry, punishment is not pre-ordained. We may hate a character for what he does, but we may like him or sympathize with him, or maybe we may just understand him and not pass judgement. Dostoyevsky is a master at turning our inclinations and opinions around.

This is a dystopian/science fiction story. It is a very unusual story. I also was able to read it in English and in French (Moi qui n'ai pas connu des hommes). The writing is simple (so easy to read in French, too) and the premise is very unusual. A girl grows up imprisoned underground with 39 other women who are older and have experienced "freedom" in the world that existed above and before. The girl has not, but by some mysterious circumstance (the science fiction part) the 40 find themselves free to go. But no one else is left in their universe (not necessarily Earth). One by one they die as time elapses. You get the rest: the girl is the youngest, and outlives the others.

First of all, the book is one long sentence. But don't fret, it makes sense: this style makes the story absolutely propulsive. This is WWI and it's violent and bloody. It takes place during only a few days, and a band of losers have to go to no-man's-land to "silence" a piercing shriek (i.e. mercy kill). But the shriek is from an angel. Or is it? Who is she? Is it a she? Who wants to save her? Why? Who does she favor? How do they do it? Who pays with his life for treating her the wrong way? So many questions! So many answers! War is hell and in that hell an angel appears. Find out!