Publisher's Synopsis
A Parade Best Book of the Year
"Romance, tragedy, war, the horrors of the pogroms, business dynasties, and more make this closely observed novel inspired somewhat by Grant's family story into a page turner." -Parade
It's 1913 when Mina, the young daughter of a Jewish merchant, roams into a forest on the edge of the Baltic Sea looking for mushrooms. Instead, she encounters a gang of unruly, charismatic Bolsheviks-an adventure that will become the stuff of familial lore for generations to come. In an act that forever changes the trajectory of their family's life, Mina and her eldest brother, Jossel, board a ship to England.
There the threat of a different war looms large. When WWI hits, Jossel is sent to the front, where he keeps a severely wounded soldier in his unit alive 'til morning by telling him tales-including that his sister Mina will marry him if he survives. The soldier lives and asks for Mina's hand, their marriage uniting two growing trade dynasties. But over time Mina and Jossel will learn that not everyone in their family has survived the wars and pogroms.
Based on the author's own family history and legends, The Story of the Forest is a remarkable record of family lore and a meditation on the power of stories to ground us by acclaimed novelist Linda Grant.
