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questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.5
This was such an interesting read, about a part of Europe I'd never really thought about before. Kassabova tells the story of the region through the people who live there so it's a mix of travel memoir and history. It covers a lot of heavy subjects, like war, refugees, exile and poverty, but also dives into the myths and traditions of the different villages. It's a melancholy read and took me a few chapters to get into the flow of it but the writing is really beautiful and I learnt a lot. I've read and studied a lot about the Cold War but with more of a focus on Germany so it was fascinating to learn about what happened at this part of the border.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and War
Moderate: Death, Racism, Violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Suicide and Antisemitism