Prisoners of the Past

Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What do I think of this story? I didn't go to bed until 4:00 AM and then I was too jazzed to fall asleep. And all day I can't stop thinking about it.

The story begins with the death of Orhan's grandfather. Among the distribution of goods in the will was a strange and disturbing codicil. The family home was given to someone no one knew. This is the story. Who is the heir to the house and why?

Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian is the story of the Armenian genocide. The time varies from 1990 and goes back to 1915, and back and forth. Lucine and Kemal play together as children. She is Armenian and he is Turkish. War breaks out and all the Armenian men are shot and the women and children are forced to march to the Syrian desert. Along the way, the Armenians were deprived of food and water, raped, and many were just shot. One incident stands out. A pregnant woman went into labor. The Turking soldiers bet on the sex of the baby. But the labor was not quick, so an impatient soldier slit open her stomach to see the sex of the baby and then they walked away and collected his winnings.

Lucine's family was in this forced march. Kemal had joined the Turkish army. During the march unimaginable deprivation, cruelty and death occurred. But Lucine somehow was saved by a whore who operated an inn. It was at the inn that Lucine and Kemal meet again. Their love is consummated but Kemal is in the army and has some unfinished duty to attend. Lucine's uncle appears and takes her to a safe place in Syria to meet up with their family.

How Kemal and Lucine connect again would spoil the story so I will just tell you that the Armenians' history is not forgotten. Their diaspora lives on in the following generations. Transgenerational grief is real.

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