Urve Tamberg
In June 1990, Estonia is teetering on the verge of independence, but life behind the Iron Curtain is still tightly controlled.Twelve-year-old Jaanika eagerly anticipates travelling to Soviet-occupied Estonia for the first time to meet her grandfather and her cousin, Mihkel. She finds a family fragmented by communism, and relatives who are as different from her as dollars and roubles. Even though she speaks the language, and understands the culture, she clashes with her new family but struggles to comprehend the reasons.When Jaanika discovers dark secrets about her grandfather during World War II, she is determined to uncover the truth as she grapples to figure out her family’s murky past. Light Behind the Curtain is a gripping story about a young girl’s struggle to accept her family’s complicated history, and her resolve to right a wrong.'Grounded, indelible characters highlight this profound and absorbing tale' -Kirkus Reviews 6
