"How do a million and a half people die with nobody knowing? -- You kill them in the middle of nowhere." So says the narrator of this story about the Armenian genocide. I know I learned nothing about it when in school. In 1915 the Ottoman Empire began the systematic elimination of the Armenian people, some killed outright, others marched into the desert to die of thirst and starvation. This novel chronicles the events in the lives an American aide worker, Elizabeth Endicott, and an Armenian engineer named Armen Petrosian during that time period. That story alternates with that of novelist Laura Petrosian, the granddaughter of Elizabeth and Armen as she researches her grandparents' story through diaries, letters, and photographs as well as the secret her mother kept until her death. This is a riveting story which, while fiction, may help to spark more recognition of the horrific events of the early 20th century. Bohjalian is a very talented writer.
I knew nothing about the Armenian genocide until a high school friend told me about his Armenian grandmother being smuggled out of Turkey in a hay wagon as a child to escape the Turks. She was a sweet little lady who spoke no English but still attended all the school events her grandchildren were in and especially delighted in the musicals her grandson often starred in. I'll never forget Grandma Haroian.
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