Book Review: "The Red Scarf" by Katie Furnivall

By Carlotta G. Holton

How far and to what degree will one woman go to keep a promise? The Red Scarf (Berkley Trade, 2008) is a journey to a 1930’s labor camp at a significant time and place in world history; pre-World War II, Soviet Russia. Author Kate Furnivall shows us love and loyalty in its many forms – to one‘s country, friends, between man and woman and compatriots, tied together amidst suppression, violence and political upheaval.

Furnivall effectively captures the heroine’s plight with insight and style. Her characters are well drawn, varied and well developed. Sofia Morozova and Ana Fedorina, two prisoners in the Davinsky Labor Camp develop a unique friendship. Ana retells the stories of her charmed childhood in Petrograd and about her love for revolutionary Vasily. Worried for the health of Ana, Sofia manages a bold escape and finds herself hunted through her journey through the cruel elements and desolation of Siberia. The harsh landscape fittingly personifies the enemy; it is icy, ruthless and unyielding in its purpose.

In the remote village of Tivil, Sofia is nursed back to health by a Gypsy family, led by Rafik who has a unique extra sensory gift. The acceptance of spiritual/supernatural abilities replaces the formal religion which has been banned. This interesting subplot, a socio-political commentary, depicts how churches were boarded up resulting in a subculture of villagers who secretly keep their hidden icons from the officers who staunchly uphold the regimented propaganda that overrides the town. Formalized religion, long the comfort of the oppressed, is a threat to the politicos.

The mistaken identity of Mikahil Pashin, the handsome factory director whom Sofia thinks is the long lost Vasily in disguise, adds to the complications and her dilemma in fulfilling her promise. The pace quickens as Sofia and her friends do battle to find the real Vasily, encountering along the way the rigid Aleksei Fomenko.

Sofia’s red scarf stands out amongst the brutal white and grey landscape of a country on the brink of drastic change. Like a beacon, it shines with hope for all those who struggle for freedom, religious beliefs and a loving family at peace. So does the book.