A review by nerdy_reader
The Orchard by Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow. This book left me emotional, more so than I have ever been about a piece of literature. Such a wonderfully crafted world built upon history and the author’s own experiences; each character was alive and breathing on the page. I fell in love, grieved, and hurt alongside of them. Gorcheva-Newberry unburies the unheard stories of the perestroika generation and examines them by interweaving the novel with the lives of four soviet teenagers. Family, politics, and friendship all play a part in how the concept of identity is formed. Could not put this book down, and, admittedly, cried multiple times when I began to think of my mother’s own experiences with the USSR. Thank you, Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry, for putting your pen to paper. The world needed / needs this novel.