Safe Return Doubtful

translated from the Latvian by Kaija Straumanis

We are introduced to Rute through her sister Dina. Dina, lonely and struggling, haunted by the traumatic childhood the two endured, sees her younger sister as spoiled; Rute is happily married and lives in a spacious house with heated floors.

Then the story jumps ahead in time: Dina has been missing for 10 years, and Rute’s life has fallen apart. The house is gone, and instead she is staying in a dilapidated cabin left to her by her father in a remote part of the country, whom she and Dina never knew. Unsure if Dina is alive or dead, Rute writes her letter after letter, which intersperse the narrative.

Whilst the story of a woman making her fragile way through life may not seem a compelling one, Vinogradova’s writing fills it with vigour and makes it a pleasure to read. It’s a short book in which not one sentence is wasted, and those given over to describing the nature around the cabin are especially enjoyable.

My GoodReads score 4 / 5