50 pages • 1 hour read
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena (2013) is a historical fiction novel by American author Anthony Marra. The story, told from an omniscient point of view, begins one morning in 2004 in the small Chechen village of Eldár. The night before, a villager named Dokka was captured and taken by Federalist soldiers, and his house was burned to the ground. Akhmed, Dokka’s good friend who lives across the street, finds Dokka’s eight-year-old daughter Havaa hiding in the woods with a mysterious blue suitcase. Akhmed takes Havaa to a hospital in the nearby town of Volchansk, having heard rumors of a skilled surgeon named Sonja who works there. Akhmed, a village doctor, hopes that he will find work at the hospital and that Sonja will look after Havaa in exchange. Sonja is frustrated at first but reluctantly agrees to the arrangement.
Due to two wars and constant attacks by Federalist soldiers, Volchansk is in ruins, and only three employees remain at the hospital: Sonja, an elderly nurse named Deshi, and a one-armed guard. Sonja is haunted by the disappearance of her sister Unlock all 50 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
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By Anthony Marra
