The Hunger Between Us by Marina Scott was a coworker’s recommendation.
It is a historical fiction novel taking place in World War II following the siege of Leningrad. Historically, many thousands of lives were lost during this time to starvation, illness or violence. Liza’s story includes all of these elements as the opening scene begins with Liza burying her mother.
Liza is managing to survive by swindling people in the marketplace along with her best friend Aka. During an illness, she loses touch with her friend. At this point the story shifts to Liza’s search for Aka. She will do whatever it takes to find her friend, including lying, stealing and inadvertently killing.
Her mother’s advice for survival is a constant internal voice. Liza will do whatever it takes to protect herself, but she refuses to cross certain boundaries. Her bold refusal creates a lot of trouble for her during the story.
This book offers a view of how suffering and desperation can change people in many ways.
Read, Review, Repeat 