#50BookPledge Book 36 Vaclav and Lena

Before I start on this post let me first say that it is easier to write reviews immediately after reading a book rather than waiting until you have time.

Vaclav and Lena by Haley Tanner from Vintage Canada 2012

Vaclav and Lena is a very interesting book on so many levels.  When one first starts reading it you might expect it to be a young adult/coming of age book but it is so much more and requires a lot of attention to the story.  There are so many layers of to the story and to the characters covering everything from immigration to adoption to fitting in to abuse to growing up.  I greatly appreciate Ms Tanner's ability to stay true to her characters by writing them in English as a Second Language text especially in the early chapters.  While I found the ESL dialogue difficult at times it really does help to establish the characters.  On top of that Vaclav and Lena both lose their Russian accent as they grow into what Rasia deems "American Teenagers."

Vaclav, the male lead in this book seems like a very normal individual with a strong relationship with his mother Rasia.  He also shows that love at first site happens and doesn't disappear just because that person is no longer in your life.  I commend Vaclav on his desire to help/protect Lena while finding out the truth about her past without requiring her to face the history directly.

I really felt for Lena, the female lead, because even though it isn't explicitly stated until near the end of the book, you know that something bad is happening to her.  Lena turns out, or so it seems, to be a very well adjusted young lady until her secret is revealed to her and those around her.  Lucky for her she has people around to help her including Emily who she calls her Real Mom, Rasia - Vaclav's mom and even though it doesn't initially seem that way her Aunt Ekaterina who tries to shelter her from the seedy world that she was a part of thanks to her method of immigration.

Vaclav and Lena is a book that will take you time to read and make you think about what you are reading, but it is worth reading because you will grow as a result.