Justine Regarde reviews East to West across Russia: The Long Journey Home

Justine Regarde recently shared her thoughts on East to West across Russia: The Long Journey Home:

"I read this book in English recently but I would love to read it in French or one of the other romance dialects because many of the narrative scenes especially the romantic scenes written to and about N are filled with such beautiful passages and words of longing that I wonder how they would sound in French, Italian, Spanish or maybe even German?

The scenes that I felt closest to were the scenes at Lake Baikal when D is longing for N and imagines that she is here with him as he would take her across the lake on a boat. The scene at Kirov Park where D is sitting on a bench waiting for N is hauntingly sad. The reader knows that N will not come. Even D knows deep down that she will not come and yet he continues to wait for her because he believes in the love that they once had for each other.

The scene at the pond in Yekaterinburg as D watches a father and son play with toy water boats is equally as sad because the internal sufferings and regrets are laid bare for the reader to see and to feel. My favourite scene was the epistolary letter that D wrote to N sitting on a bench beside a statue of lovers in Omsk. Letter writing is so rare now in the digital age within the 21st century. We mostly send emails and texts now. Everything is so instant but I like the writing of a love letter because it is intimate and the writer takes its time to pen the words that he chooses from within the depths of his own soul.

I don't even know if N is a real person but if I received a love letter like the one that D had written N then it would feel very real and special for me. I applaud the author Daniel C.A. Christianson for writing such a beautiful and moving book."

Reading Justine Regarde’s review is both deeply touching and immensely rewarding. One of my hopes for East to West across Russia: The Long Journey Home was to create a story that spoke not only through its events but through its emotions, memories, and moments of longing. Knowing that the passages centred on D and N resonated so strongly and inspired thoughts about how they might sound in other languages is a wonderful compliment to receive.

I am especially moved by Justine’s reflections on the scenes at Lake Baikal, Kirov Park, Yekaterinburg, and Omsk. These moments were written to capture the fragile intersection of hope, memory, and loss, where the heart continues to hold on even when reason suggests otherwise. Her appreciation for the letter written to N is particularly meaningful. In an age of instant communication, the art of letter writing carries a unique intimacy and vulnerability, allowing emotions to unfold with patience and sincerity. It is gratifying to know that this scene connected so deeply with her.

The mystery surrounding N remains one of the novel’s central questions, and I am delighted that Justine engaged with that uncertainty. Whether N is a real person, an idealised memory, or something more symbolic is left for each reader to interpret in their own way. I am sincerely grateful to Justine for her thoughtful and heartfelt review, and honoured that East to West across Russia: The Long Journey Home left such a lasting emotional impression.

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