Nadezhda "Nadiya" Borodinskaya, an ethnic Russian from Ukraine is
not a definition of a successful and well-made immigrant. She works as
a part-time nanny for a spoiled and pampered young charge named
Sasha and her Russian-American mother Regina, and as a senior citizen
home attendant to Russian speaking men and women. In addition to
those tasks, Nadiya is also forced to worry about her diabetic and
trapped daughter Larissa back in war-torn Ukraine.
Nadiya has made a promise to Larissa to get her out of Ukraine, but
almost six years have passed since she left her daughter. Can Nadiya
keep her promise to Larissa, or will she have to take more drastic
measures?
In reading MOTHER COUNTRY by
Irina Reyn, I feel as if she penned a tale of disconnect between first-
generation mothers and their children because I saw a lot of my own
mother in Nadiya's behavior, as well as her views on child-rearing and
living. MOTHER COUNTRY is a
subtle tale that both teaches and informs multiple generations of
women from old and new countries about one another, and it ultimately
teaches of the power that the word "mother" has over children.
Prior to reading MOTHER
COUNTRY, I often defined a mother as someone nurturing and who
helps a child or children grow to their full potential. However, from
thinking of why the word mother is used in the title, I realize "mother"
has another meaning: that of stacking and building a child's character
to get them to live full lives, and an essence that becomes entangled
within the heart and the very bones of the child. A triumphant and
human tale of the daily life of immigrants that are not rich, MOTHER COUNTRY by Irina Reyn
should be read by all women who share immigrant experience in order
to build lost bridges to understanding one another.
Award-winning author Irina Reyn explores what it means to be
a mother in a world where you can't be with your child
Nadia's daily life in south Brooklyn is filled with small
indignities: as a senior home attendant, she is always in
danger of being fired; as a part-time nanny, she is forced
to navigate the demands of her spoiled charge and the
preschooler's insecure mother; and as a ethnic Russian, she
finds herself feuding with western Ukrainian immigrants who
think she is a traitor.
The war back home is always at the forefront of her reality.
On television, Vladimir Putin speaks of the "reunification"
of Crimea and Russia, the Ukrainian president makes
unconvincing promises about a united Ukraine, while American
politicians are divided over the fear of immigration. Nadia
internalizes notions of "union" all around her, but the one
reunion she has been waiting six years for - with her
beloved daughter - is being eternally delayed by the
Department of Homeland Security. When Nadia finds out that
her daughter has lost access to the medicine she needs to
survive, she takes matters into her own hands.
Mother Country is Irina Reyn's most emotionally
complex, urgent novel yet. Hopeful and full of humor, it is
a story of mothers and daughters and, above all else,
resilience.
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