A seventeen-year-old girl called Katerina Klova is travelling with her mother. The story begins with the collapse of Katerina's mother, a complete psychotic breakdown, leaving Katerina alone for the first time in her life. This novel subtly explores the legacy of violence, of how the First World War precipitated the Second World War, and with this narrative lens we can understand the ongoing nature of violence now. Through the perceptive intelligence of Katerina Klova, and her own family's place within a fracturing world, we see the way trauma is passed from one generation to another. The story takes place over one day and night, New Year's Eve, 1939. The RMS Aquitania steams across the Atlantic ocean--on the horizon the world is about to explode.
Contents
Cover Page; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; 1