For five years, Enn Padrik has postponed the investigation into the

apparently religiously inspired suicides of his daughter and her

friends at a commune near Viljandi, but now he can postpone it no

longer. He must travel all over Estonia and even as far as France

interviewing anyone who might remember anything relevant.

Some of these people seem to have been waiting for him, others

refuse to talk. And little by little, a bigger and quite unexpected

picture starts to emerge. From the late 1970s through 2011, The

Reconstruction spans the lives of two generations, going from the

late 1970s through 2011, narrating the changes in the wider world

and Estonian society in particular, the transition from a world of

right and wrong to a world where most things are neither, but the

yearning for absolute truths still won't go away.

About the Author
Rein Raud was born in Estonia in 1961. Since 1974, he has published numerous poetry collections, short stories, novels, and plays. For his works he has received both the Estonian Cultural Endowment Annual Prize and the Vilde Prize. Having earned his PhD in Literary Theory from the University of Helsinki in 1994, Raud is also a widely published scholar of cultural theory as well as the literature and philosophy of both modern and pre-modern Japan. Adam Cullen originates from Minneapolis. In 2007 he moved to Talinn, Estonia, where he currently resides. His translation of Tonu Onnepalu's Radio is also available from Dalkey Archive Press.

Reviews

A disturbing and heartbreaking novel that deserves a wide audience.

* Kirkuse Review, starred review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780916583804
Author Rein Raud
Format Paperback
Page Count 265
Imprint Dalkey Archive Press
Publisher Dalkey Archive Press