The Red Scarf

If you are seeking a novel that possesses a cast of complex, charming characters, brimming with scenery that comes to life, and excellently-wielded dialogue than look no further than The Red Scarf by Kate Furnivall.

The Red Scarf is the story of Sofia Morozova, a prisoner of Davinsky Labor Camp living in 1933 under Stalin’s brutal, communist Russia. It is after she befriends the dreamy, compassionate Anna Fedorina, who’s failing health, drives Sofia to plan a risky escape and find Anna’s friend, Vasily. Though, Sofia has never met Vasily, she is convinced he will help Anna.

Things I really liked about The Red Scarf are the complexity of the characters. Furnivall is excellent at showing rather than telling and efficiently wields dialogue to tell more about the characters. This book remained interesting throughout the story not only because of the characters, plot, and word choice but also because of the greatly varying sentence structure.

Furnivall’s unique word choice and skill at painting scenes is apparent throughout the whole book. She also utilizes an interesting writing style, using many different techniques to clue the reader on not only what is happening but also the emotion it carries for the characters. The whole story has an almost dreamy quality to it. Furnivall’s word choice, characters, plot, and use of dialogue make for a powerful, almost addictive novel.

The Red Scarf is engrossing, taking its readers back in time to 1933 in Stalin’s brutalistic Russia, to the melancholy labor camps in isolated Siberia, where hundreds are forced to work and shot as soon as they are no longer useful to the proletariat. Through Sofia’s journey, The Red Scarf shows you both the capacity of humans to commit horrors and the warm compassion and altruism of humans.

My only critique of The Red Scarf is the ending which seems rushed and a little slapped together. Overall, The Red Scarf is a heady blend of charming characters, gripping plot, excellent word choice, and shows off Furnivall’s complete command of dialogue.