Amber

by stephan-collishaw

Antanas is a young Lithuanian conscripted to fight in the Soviet War in Afghanistan where he falls in love with a young Afghani nurse. She opens his eyes to the politics of the war, while making bearable the brutal reality of their situation - until her sudden death sends him spiralling into a breakdown and to a psychiatric hospital back home in Vilnius. Vassily, a war comrade, rescues him and teaches him his trade - crafting amber jewellery - helping Antanas to let go of the past. But Vassily has a guilty secret - eight years later, on his deathbed, he cannot make a full confession, but charges Antanas with retrieving the priceless amber bracelet he smuggled out of Afghanistan during the war. After Antanas reluctantly agrees, he discovers not only that a dangerous rival is also searching for it, but also the terrible price Vassily paid for it. Only then can he truly make peace with the past and with his estranged wife.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published July 5, 2004

Reviews

[BarbaraNathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is 1997. Antanas and Vassily have worked precious amber in Vilnius, Lithuania since they returned from serving in Afganistan for the Soviet Union. Vassily is a master craftsman and storyteller. His tales of amber and its origins seem to be as bottomless as a full well.

But as Vassily faces his mortality due to cancer, he is anquished by a secret which he feels his friend, Antanas, whom he loves as a brother, must hear and understand. Vassily and Antanas each harbor their own demons from Afganistan, so Vassily sends Antanas on a quest that will reveal his secret to his beloved friend.

Travelling between the present and flashbacks of Soviet - occupied Afganistan, Antanas discovers the enormity of truth within Vassily's punchline, "Sometimes great beauty is a terrible thing." In Stephan Collishaw's AMBER, the truth sneaks up on the unsuspecting reader, and packs a punch that is not easily forgotten.

A mesmerizing work; upon finishing this book, I reread the first few chapters to discern what happened to me as I read this book.