Ella Mackenzie reviews East to West across Russia: The Long Journey Home

Ella Mackenzie recently shared her thoughts on East to West across Russia: The Long Journey Home:

"I completed reading this book only yesterday after my friend gave it to me as a gift last Christmas. I am not sure what I was expecting before I began to read it. I probably assumed it would be very much like other travel tales and that would have been fine too as I like and have read many travel books but this story East to West was not like that. In fact I don't think it was really a travel book per se. Even if the author never left his home in Scandinavia and never experienced crossing the length of Russia he could still have created a beautiful tale because at the core of this narrative is the depth of experience of a lonely and love sick man.

Christianson's protagonist D reminds me somewhat of Goethe's Werther in that he longs for a woman who doesn't or won't return his deep seated, obsessive and pining love. It is truly a beautiful but very sad tale. I really loved the ending because I was none the wiser on the heated pavements of Moscow as I was on the dreary streets of Vladivostok at the journey's beginning. It is so ambiguous but I can only conclude that the author did this on purpose to invite more questions than answers."

Reading Ella Mackenzie’s review is both humbling and deeply rewarding. While East to West across Russia: The Long Journey Home follows a physical journey across an immense landscape, it was always intended to be much more than a travel narrative. At its heart, it is a story about longing, loneliness, memory, and the emotional journeys that often shape us more profoundly than any distance travelled. Knowing that Ella connected with these deeper themes and saw beyond the surface of the journey means a great deal to me. I am especially touched by her comparison of D to Werther and her reflections on the novel’s ambiguity. The unanswered questions and open-ended nature of the story were indeed intentional, inviting readers to reflect on their own interpretations and emotions. I am sincerely grateful to Ella for her thoughtful and insightful review, and delighted that the story resonated with her on such a meaningful level.

 

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