#BlogTour The Secret of Karabakh by Fidan Bagirova

 It's my turn on the BlogTour The Secret of Karabakh by Fidan Bagirova.

About the Author

Fidan Bagirova is a writer, sculptor and multimedia artist. She was born in Geneva, to parents from Azerbaijan. They, like hundreds of thousands of others, lost everything during the Armenian invasion described in The Secret of Karabakh, and for Fidan, writing this novel has been a way of expressing her longing for the Azerbaijani people’s identity and stolen heritage. Follow @FidanBagirova1 on Twitter

About the book

You are not who you think you are. Your future is not what you think it will be. You are in danger…

 Alana Fulton, the beloved only child of wealthy American parents, is bookish and passionate about the past. In the final stages of a PhD in archaeology at the University of Cambridge, Alana’s future is bright and assured. Then comes the anonymous note: You are not who you think you are. Suddenly, everything in her life – including her sense of self – is under assault.

As Alana flees unknown pursuers and mounting danger, all that is familiar crumbles away. In time, it becomes clear to Alana why she’s being pursued; and she must ask herself where her loyalties and her future lie.

Review

It's a timely story, in a sense that it serves as a reminder how quickly an entire culture and population can fade into obscurity, due to the actions of an enemy and aggressor. The world watches as atrocities are committed, genocide takes place, and entire generations are killed, disappeared and displaced.

Alana, the daughter of wealthy American parents, suddenly becomes the target of an anonymous person. There doesn't seem to be any logical reason for the targeted harassment and threats, and then there are also the curious notes. Suggesting that she is living a lie, that Alana is not who she thinks she is.

The deeper Alana digs for the truth the more shocking the details get. Life as she knows it is a staged play for the global world to keep her family safe - who is determined to threaten that security.

It's a thriller with political and historical overtones, a learning experience whilst delivering a gripping read. Simultaneously it's also very much a story about culture, identity and family. I enjoyed the fact it had a poetic tone to the prose - the writing echoes how deep this is rooted in emotion and history. I almost wished the path that leads Alana to her heritage and past wasn't paved with the stones of a thriller - the story of the past would have been sufficiently beautiful.

Buy The Secret of Karabakh at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Lume Books pub date 14 April 2022. Buy via Lume Books.