I was also impressed by the haunting and ghostly weight Marra imbues in his characters, and the legacy of history itself, by referring in the present tense to what a particular character will be doing ‘x’ years in the future – a technique difficult to explain but extremely effective. The boy who narrated his dreams while recovering from meningitis. The blind man who played accordion for her as she splinted the broken leg of his guide dog.

Happiness came in moments of unpredictable loveliness. She marked the days, but time didn’t march forward instead it turned from day to night, from hospital to flat, from cries to silence, from claustrophobia to loneliness and back again, like a coin flipping from side to side. The back story is revealed slowly from each character’s viewpoint, but the depth of understanding of what transpired and the kaleidoscopic character development this framework provides the attentive reader is ample reward for the time invested. A handy timeline graphic at the beginning of each chapter assists the reader gain their bearings as the narration switches back and forth. These reflective accounts span the decade 1994 to 2004. The foreground story is about what happens to a small group of people over five consecutive days in 2004, but in order to fully understand what has led to these actions, Marra explores each of the characters’ pasts. A character within the novel finds solace in this definition. The six vital phenomena are organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation. “Medically speaking, life is structured as the constellation of six vital phenomena similarly, this novel is structured as the constellation of six point-of-view characters.” The title, Marra explains, is from a medical dictionary definition for life. In an interview with Publisher’s Weekly, Marra explains the significance of the seemingly obscure title: But, it is the framework and lens through which Anthony Marra tells this story that elevates it to inspired and thought-provoking literature. The subject matter of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is undeniably moving (if not heartbreaking) and the tale particularly enlightening for those with less understanding of the recent history of Chechnya than we ought to. The only recent parallel that comes to mind is the maturity of Jennifer duBois’ debut A Partial History of Lost Causes. It is stunning for many reasons, not least that it is the first published novel from author Anthony Marra, still in his twenties. BOOK REVIEWĪ Constellation of Vital Phenomena deserves the adoration it has quickly garnered. With The English Patient’s dramatic sweep and The Tiger’s Wife’s expert sense of place, Marra gives us a searing debut about the transcendent power of love in wartime, and how it can cause us to become greater than we ever thought possible.ĭisclosure: If you click a link in this post and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission.

But over the course of five extraordinary days, Sonja’s world will shift on its axis and reveal the intricate pattern of connections that weaves together the pasts of these three unlikely companions and unexpectedly decides their fate. Weary and overburdened, she has no desire to take on additional risk and responsibility. He will seek refuge at the abandoned hospital where the sole remaining doctor, Sonja Rabina, treats the wounded.įor Sonja, the arrival of Akhmed and Havaa is an unwelcome surprise. When their lifelong neighbor Akhmed finds Havaa hiding in the forest with a strange blue suitcase, he makes a decision that will forever change their lives. In a small rural village in Chechnya, eight-year-old Havaa watches from the woods as Russian soldiers abduct her father in the middle of the night and then set fire to her home. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is Anthony Marra’s internationally bestselling debut novel.Ī Constellation of Vital Phenomena Synopsis:

Vital phenomena definition