Based on the shocking Beslan school siege in 2004, this is a brave and necessary story about grief, resilience, and finding your voice in the aftermath of tragedy.
On the day she brings her sweet little sister, Nika, to school for the first time, eighteen-year-old Darya has already been taking care of her family for years. But a joyous September morning shifts in an instant when Darya’s rural Russian town is attacked by terrorists. While Darya manages to escape, Nika is one of hundreds of children taken hostage in the school in what stretches to a three-day siege and ends in violence. In the confusion and horror that follow, Darya and her family frantically scour hospitals and survivor lists in hopes that Nika has somehow survived. And as journalists and foreign aid workers descend on her small town, Darya is caught in the grip of grief and trauma, trying to recover her life and wondering if there is any hope for her future. From acclaimed author Julie Mayhew comes a difficult but powerful narrative about pain, purpose, and healing in the wake of senseless terror.
Initial thoughts:Mother Tongue is based on the Beslan school siege, and the aftermath. Needless to say, that made it a difficult book to read. Knowing that children were killed, thinking about the families left behind, recalling the despairing faces I saw on TV in 2004 made it all the more heart-breaking. The pain, however, does not compare to that of people who were there. That's why I'm glad that Julie Mayhew continued to wonder in her afterword if this was a story she should tell.
Was it her place to write this book? I don't have a concrete answer either, though I don't think that she sensationalised any aspect. That's an important factor that made me appreciate Mother Tongue. Mayhew focused on one person, Darya, and how she was affected — the post-traumatic stress disorder she was struck with when she lost a her sister, whom she had raised like her own daughter.
The pace felt a little dissonant, Darya's character introspective yet not always fully present. That slowed down my reading of Mother Tongue significantly. Usually that would've bothered me but given the subject matter, it seemed fitting.
