A review by ajkhn
Jamilia by Chingiz Aïtmatov

5.0

WW2-era Kyrgyzstan is a pretty interesting place. With all the healthy men at the front, the farm work is done by the wives and the younger brothers. The story is told from a younger brother's perspective of a trip taken with his sister-in-law. The landscape is the true protagonist; rural Kyrgyzstan is a beauty to behold.

It's a short story, and it can be found online, for free, pretty easily. I read it in a there-back ride on the metro. You should, too.