Russian Tattoo by Elena Gorokhova

Title: Russian Tattoo
Author: Elena Gorokhova
Page Count: 317
Rating: A
Keywords: Immigration, Soviet Union, Identity, Russia
Genre: Memoir
Younger Readers: This is about an adult woman's life so I would not recommend for very young children but there are not any explicit scenes or anything particularly graphic.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

An exquisite portrait of mothers and daughters that reaches from Cold War Russia to modern-day New Jersey, from the author of A Mountain of Crumbs—the memoir that “leaves you wanting more” (The Daily Telegraph, UK).

In A Mountain of Crumbs Elena Gorokhova describes coming of age behind the Iron Curtain and leaving her mother and her Motherland for a new life in the United States. Now, in Russian Tattoo, Elena learns that the journey of an immigrant is filled with everyday mistakes, small humiliations, and a loss of dignity. Cultural disorientation comes in the form of not knowing how to eat a hamburger, buy a pair of shoes, or catch a bus. But through perseverance and resilience, Elena gradually adapts to her new country. With the simultaneous birth of her daughter and the arrival of her Soviet mother, who comes to the US to help care for her granddaughter and stays for twenty-four years, it becomes the story of a unique balancing act and a family struggle.

Russian Tattoo is a poignant memoir of three generations of strong women with very different cultural values, all living under the same roof and battling for control. Themes of separation and loss, grief and struggle, and power and powerlessness run throughout this story of growing understanding and, finally, redemption. “Gorokhova writes about her life with a novelist’s gift,” says The New York Times, and her latest offering is filled with empathy, insight, and humor.

My Review:

I read Gorohkova's A Mountain of Crumbs while I was still an undergraduate student and absolutely loved it.

This memoir could be read independently or after completing her first. There would be some information lost in not reading A Mountain of Crumbs but it would not completely hinder your reading experience of Russian Tattoo. A Mountain of Crumbs focuses on Elena's younger years, growing up in the Soviet Union, and the events that led up to her coming to the United States. My interests in Russian culture, history, and language made this memoir particularly enjoyable for me several years ago. Russian Tattoo emphasizes her life after she came to the United States.

I enjoyed reading about both her adjustments to life in the United States as well as some of the adjustments her ESL students underwent. There was an array of experiences explored, showing the various routes people would have taken to reach the US as well as how life after arrival can vary.

Emotions ran high at many points in this book. Elena recounts many instances of loss that were difficult to read and there were absolutely points I found myself quite overcome with emotion. Luckily I was reading at home and did not cry in public...which has absolutely happened before. Some authors handle dramatic life events in an overly emphasized style that can become too heavy. Elena has the gift of offering the events to the reader with just enough personal emotion to make the reader feel but not too much as to become overwhelming.

Though it was difficult to read at times, I did enjoy the presence of Elena's mother and daughter. Watching how the different generations were affected by her choices and the way they grew as a unit because of them was refreshing and intriguing. There was little sugar coating, a refreshing take on the realities of what it means to be family.

If you are interested in memoirs, stories about immigration, the Soviet Union, or Russia then I would highly recommend either of Elena Gorokhova's memoirs. They are beautifully written, heartfelt, informative, and overall enjoyable.