![]() Their frowning faces tell Vanja that Amatka is wary of newcomers, but she’s not on the clock yet, so their sanitary preferences can wait. Tidbeck sets Amatka in Russia a frozen, distant land where everyone shuffles to and from government assigned jobs. Welcome Comrade. The phrase chills my bones as a millennial American who’s cultural ignorance conjures up Big Bad stereotypes from Boomer-era films. Vanja’s train rolls into the city of Amatka, and grayness greets her at the door. To calm herself, Vanja marks her surroundings: suitcase, pencil, boots. Wait, is this a tic? A social quirk? A strange cultural custom? What’s going on? She’s nervous, uncertain, and takes comfort in routine and repetition. She thinks she only got this job – this eccentric position that requires her to ask people about their personal hygiene product preference – due to nepotism. Vanja is in her thirties and her self-talk leaves me wanting to give her a montage makeover and a long hug. ![]() Her name is Vanja, and she’s traveling to Amatka by train. ![]() Karin Tidbeck’s science fiction novel opens with a weary traveler: a stranger in a strange land. ![]()
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