A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

Anthony Merra's novel A Constellation of Vital Phenomena ranks as one of the most well-written debuts I have recently read.  This title is set to be released in early May and you should definitely add it to your "to read" list.  The heartbreaking story compares well with other debut novel A Light Between Oceans, though the subject matter is vastly different. The emotional impact of both is amazing.

The story takes place in a small village in Chechnya at the end of 2004.  Eight-year old Haava has hidden herself away while Russian soldiers kidnapped her father.  Her neighbor, Akhmed, knows of a bombed out hospital some eleven kilometers away.  He takes Haava there, with the idea that he will work for free in exchange.  The young doctor, Sonja, who is one of only two hospital employees left, reluctantly agrees, despite having to deal with her own issues.  Not only is she trying to take care of patients virtually by herself, she is also searching for her sister, Natasha, who disappeared a year ago.  Over the next five days, Akhmed and Sonja relive their pasts and what has been lost.  It is revealed that they are connected in astonishing ways and the suspense builds as those connections are unraveled.

This is a highly recommended debut.  I read the final two chapters twice.  The story is that beautiful and heartbreaking at once.