A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
Technical:
- ID: 72
- Added: 2025-08-30
- Updated: 2025-08-30
- Reviews: 3
In a snow-covered village in Chechnya, eight-year-old Havaa watches from the woods as her father is abducted in the middle of the night by Russian soldiers. Their life-long friend and neighbour, Akhmed, has also been watching, and when he finds Havaa he knows of only one person who might be able to help. For tough-minded doctor Sonja Rabina, it's just another day of trying to keep her bombed-out, abandoned hospital going. When Akhmed arrives with Havaa, asking Sonja for shelter, she has no idea who the pair are and even less desire to take on yet more responsibilities and risk. But over the course of five extraordinary days, Sonja's world will shift on its axis, revealing the intricate pattern of connections that binds these three unlikely companions together and unexpectedly decides their fate. 'A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is simply spectacular' Ann Patchett
Reviews
Pull quotes
- The novel is mainly centred around how the interactions of Havaa, Akhmed, and Sonja all effect one-another and how five days can change the lives of these people.
- Their stories from the past, present, and future combine to create a spectacular novel in which our relationships with people in our lives are examined.
- Akhmed and Sonja reach back into their pasts to unravel the intricate mystery of coincidence, betrayal, and forgiveness that unexpectedly binds them.
Pull quotes
- There is no doubt that A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is a significant achievement.
- The story is a work of sweeping breadth, profound compassion, and lasting impact.
- Anthony Marra masterfully explores love, loss, and the unexpected ties that bind us together.
Pull quotes
- A Constellation of Vital Phenomena hinges on the story of a Chechen villager who, over five days, tries to save a young girl from a Russian death squad.
- The novel flashes back into the past revealing Sonja’s painful family history and her sister Natasha’s tragic experiences.
- The sisters’ relationship is prickly: as Sonja puts it to herself, she would cross the country for her sister, but not a room.