Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour

"Alëna Lembersky is a young girl growing up in Soviet Russia in the 1970s. Though her life in Leningrad is circumscribed by the deprivation of Communist regime, it is also full: full of her family's love, her friends, her school, the richness of her vivid imagination, and the legacy of her grandfather, an artist whose celebrated paintings captured the beauty of the world around them. Alëna's life is upended when her grandmother emigrates to America, and her single mother, Galia, is unjustly incarcerated. Galia's ordeals-a corrupt trial in a broken system, a stint in prison, and service in a labor camp-come close to breaking her spirit, but through it all, she remains a devoted and loving mother to Alëna, able to send her daughter beautiful (and sometimes hilariously nagging) letters that deepen their bond even through their long and fraught separation. Told in the dual points of view of both Alëna and Galia, Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour is a clear-eyed look at the reality of life under Communist rule, giving us an insider's perspective on the roots of contemporary Russia. But it is also a coming of age story about a budding artist, full of beauty and vitality and life. Heartfelt, moving, and funny, it is a testament to the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters, and the healing power of art"--