Seraphima survived after her mother was brutally murdered by the people from the village. At that time, she was saved by a female soldier and was asked, "Do you want to fight or die?", and chose to fight with revenge in his heart. They boldly fulfill their duties even when they see their colleague killed instantly. If you make a mistake in judgment, you will die immediately. Who is the"enemy" for Seraphima? Are you talking about German soldiers at war? The sniper who shot her mother? Is it Irina who burned down her house and hometown? Or the men who abuse women? "There are still some areas where this situation continues, but I don't know what to do. Find a post-war sniper, even if it's someone you love. Have a hobby to live." It was the advice of a person who should stand at the top of the sniper. It's a matter of course that war is bad, but it clearly shows why it's bad and what the actual harm to people is when war breaks out.
This book is incredibly powerful. Set during World War II in the Soviet Union, it portrays brave women who took up arms to defend their country against the German invasion. While the story includes fictional characters, it is grounded in true history. Beyond depicting the harsh realities of war, it delves into profound questions: why do we wage war, what are our motivations, and what are we truly fighting for? Is it for freedom, for our people, for future generations, or something else entirely? It's heartbreaking to witness the devastation and division caused by war, especially when juxtaposed with the current events unfolding in parts of the world
I don’t often read military fiction, so I didn’t really have any expectations going into this, but I definitely enjoyed this. The book focuses on the horrors of war and the female soldiers of the Red Army in World War II. It was honestly a refreshing theme to explore. The female characters show a lot of camaraderie with each other and discuss their role in the war, which contrasts sharply with the men’s experiences. There’s a lot of focus on the women on each side of the war, female soldiers, female victims, their portrayal in different countries etc. Considering the invasion of Ukraine and how this book explores the representation and collaboration of minorities in the Soviet Union, I think it’s a heavy read that will leave you deeply moved.
Read in Chinese, attempting to reread in Japanese now. As far as I know, there isn't an English translation yet though I hope it appears soon cause this book is amazing.
Set in the Soviet Union during WWII, the author not only takes us on a detailed journey of the grand scheme strategies, weaponry, and propaganda warfare going on at the time, but also focuses on the lives and choices of the women during this trying period - something too many "his"tory books and documentaries have overlooked for far too long.
Rather than rehashing the atrocities and war heroics, the author trains his lens (pun intended) on what it takes to survive and what it means to fight for the girls and women of this time. As we follow Serafima's journey from being a bright girl set to becoming the first ever university student from her small farming village to a victim and sole survivor of a brutal massacre and onward to becoming a member of the renowned and elite Soviet troop of female snipers, we not only get snapshots of the stark brutality and despair happening around her, but also get a glimpse of her inner thoughts and strains as she struggles to find meaning in the lives she takes and meaning for her own life in this senseless war.
The title of this book, in my own very direct translation, is called "Girl Comrade, Shoot the Enemy". And the ultimate question the author proposes to Serafima and to us, the readers, is "But, who exactly, IS the enemy?" And by extension, who exactly AM I? And what am I fighting for? For how can we define our enemy and the meaning to our fights without first understanding our own identity?
Without spoiling the story further, I highly recommend this well written and thought provoking novel to everyone. I know I'll be rereading this book many, many times.
This is the best book I have read this year. It tells the story of a young woman, Serafima's, journey as she experiences the war. Serafima has lived a somewhat a normal life. She was even going to be the first one in her village to go to University. However all this changes when Germans come to her village kill her mother and all the other villagers. Serafima herself is just about to be killed when the Soviet Army arives and there she meets a female soldier named Irina. Irina asks Serafima if she wants to die or kill and Serafima chooses to kill. From then on Serafima joins a training team of also young women and girls to become a sniper and we follow her journey mostly. I loved this book because it shows what a war is like through the eyes of a female soldier. (The author said that they were inspired by Svetlana Alexievich's 《The Unwomanly Face of War》) It also questions the war, the act of killing and what it does to people, what the soldiers feel. I highly recommend this book!
Realmente no tengo palabras para describir esta historia... Me sumergí completamente, fui parte de todo el camino que recorrió Serafina, sufrí cuando ella lo perdió todo en Ivanovo, sentí esa frustración cuando dejó escapar al francotirador Yekas y cuando al fin logro su cometido, la resolución qué tenía cuando menciono la frase "camaradas mujeres, disparen al enemigo" y el significado de esta. Y al final también fui feliz cuando ella en respuesta a la carta de Charlotte dijo "yo gane" porque a pesar de todo, encontró ambos objetivos de como vivir la fase posguerra. Realmente me encantó y fue una gran sorpresa saber que es la primera obra del autor, espero leer pronto más de sus trabajos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I'm not normally one for historic fiction but I felt drawn to this novel. I kept hearing a lot of praise for it and finally picked up a signed copy in the store. I was a little aprihensive if it would be good or not but I'm so happy to say it's worth all the praise.
The writing is really good. The story and characters are strong all the way through and there's even multiple sprinkles of foreshadowing, which I almost never see in a Japanese novel.
Aisaka has clearly done his research and depicts a grusomely truthly tail about war.