Lost Birds
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Spanning forty years and two continents, Lost Birds weaves a tale of Irene Matas and her friends, who arrive as children in Chicago after the Second World War and begin to puzzle out what it means to be American. These interconnected stories follow the residents on Talman Street who fled the Soviet takeover of their country. While the parents, sick with nostalgia and grief for their lost homeland, cling to their old ways, their conflicted children are torn between allegiance to their parents and the bright appeal of America.
As Irene and her restless friends come of age in the sixties, they begin to grow beyond their close but insular neighborhood, but still feel drawn to their past.
When after many years, the impossible happens—the Iron Curtain finally falls—some return to visit relatives only to find their country ravaged by the Soviets. Irene returns to find something she never expected.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Inspired by her own birth in a displaced persons camp after WWII, Putrius's enjoyable debut novel follows multiple families from Lithuania who immigrate to Chicago after the war. Irena Matas was born in a DP camp in Bavaria. When her parents aren't allowed to return to Lithuania, they start a new life in Chicago. Antanas Balys was torn from his farm, his wife, and his four children during the war and never saw them again. Magda Vitkus suffered brain damage from being buried under rubble during a bombing. Following them for 40 years, Putrius shows how long the shadow of war can be. The history and insight into American and Lithuanian culture is wonderful and Putrius does a marvelous job of illustrating the longing that the old exiles have for home. However, the point of view switches often and the large cast of characters can make for confusing reading. An abundance of clich s ("squealing like a stuck pig" and "like a sore foot finds its worn slipper") detract from the storytelling. Stints of magical realism delightfully showcase Lithuanian folklore, but they're rare, making it seem out of place with the rest of the novel. (BookLife)
