The Remnants

About this book

Lena and Nikolai Siemens dream of a simple life on the steppes of 1920s Crimea-farming their land, raising their children, and practicing their Mennonite faith in peace.But as Stalin's iron fist closes around Russia's German Mennonite communities, Lena and Nikolai flee toward Moscow in a desperate bid for freedom. Surrounded by thousands of fellow refugees, they wait in disease-ridden camps, watching children die while bureaucrats deny their exit visas again and again.After months of uncertainty, Nikolai is arrested. Lena takes refuge in a maternity home. And three-year-old Kolja is deported back to Crimea, fifteen hundred miles away.Then the miracle happens: Exit visas. But only for forty-eight hours. No time to reach Kolja before the door closes forever.Now Lena and Nikolai face an unbearable choice: Escape with their newborn and trust their family will be reunited . . . or stay in Russia and risk the wrath of Stalin.Award-winning author Ann Marie Stewart crafts a meticulously researched historical family saga based on the true story of her grandparents' resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. A powerful testament to the unbreakable bonds of family, The Remnants will captivate historical fiction fans and readers of The Nightingale and Before We Were Yours.