Yelena Lembersky Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour

Annotation

A 2022 WNBA Great Group Reads Selection"Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour is more ambitious than the average memoir. It's informed by Galina's and her parents' lessons on the value of art and culture and enriched by Alena's beautifully constructed images and Galina's poetry." - Herb Randall, LA Review of BooksLike a Drop of Ink in a Downpour traces Yelena Lembersky's childhood in Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) in the 1970s and '80s. Her life is upended when her family decides to emigrate to America, but instead her mother is charged with a crime and unjustly incarcerated.Told in the dual points of view, this memoir is a clear-eyed look at the reality of life in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, giving us an insider's perspective on the roots of contemporary Russia. It is also a coming-of-age story, heartfelt and funny, a testament to the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters, and the healing power of art.