Heartache and hardship for Russian immigrants

No matter how busy or tired I am, I can always unwind with a book.

This week I chose “The Little Bride” by Anna Solomon. I didn’t think I’d like it, but it just kept me turning pages.

In the late 1800s, Russia is in turmoil. Jews are in peril. Horrifyingly violent pogroms are creeping closer to Odessa, where the orphaned Minna Losk is living with a once wealthy aunt.

She has almost nothing of her own and must sneak food while her aunt sleeps. At 16, she decides to escape by becoming a mail order bride.

She is one of the few passengers to escape the misery of being seasick so must assume the responsibility of helping the others. Death and broken dreams are all around her, but she holds onto hope that her new husband will be handsome, rich and kind.

Minna is met at the harbor by Jacob Getreuer, the son of her future husband, Max. Together they travel across America to South Dakota. Along the way, Minna learns that she will be living on a homestead where Max and his sons are trying to eke out a living without the tools or skills required.

The house she hoped for is nothing more than a hole dug into the side of a hill furnished with crates and scrapes. Minna isn’t prepared for this life, but she solemnly does her best. She soon learns that Max was supposed to become a rabbi and married a woman of means, but it became apparent that Max lacked the leadership skills to lead a congregation.

As the pogroms spread, the family left for America and a new start. Sadly Max was as stubborn as he was devout. When offered a chance to homestead near Chicago, Max refused the financial help offered to fellow Jews and went off the South Dakota totally unprepared.

Minna can see that Max has no heart for farming as he usually watches as Samuel and Jacob do their best to prepare the fields, plant crops and manage the daily tasks. Jacob is the friendly, talkative one, while Samuel is remote and almost unfriendly.

When Max is nice to Minna, she feels like he treats her like a child. With a little advice from her (5 miles away, prosperous) neighbor, Minna learns how to deal with a sod house and what comes with it, but she remains utterly sad and lonely.

Eventually, Max receives a divorce so he and Minna can marry. The wedding is hosted by their neighbors, but it is far from a festive affair. Life quickly returns to the same sad routines — until a prairie cyclone destroys with little they have.

Suddenly they must accept the hospitality of non-Jews. It is almost more than Max can bear, but it allows Minna hope for a future with some happiness. As the weeks pass, Minna realizes that she is strongly attracted to Samuel, and that he’s been avoiding her because he feels the same.

With near brutal suddenness, Max dies and Minna and Samuel realize they can’t be together. Thus begins Minna’s quest for a place to call home without the constraints of religion, marriage or family.

We’ve never known the fear that gripped Europe in the time Minna lived, but we can see and feel it through a well-written book. Your public library has dozens of such stories. Stop by soon so you can check it out.

AT A GLANCE
BOOK: “The Little Bride”
AUTHOR: Anna Solomon
PUBLISHER: Riverhead Books
PUBLISHED: Sept. 6, 2011