The novel’s action begins on the last day of summer, when the Russian army is withdrawn from Lithuania. A young music teacher, Vasarė Žalytė, tormented by memories of her parents’ experiences in Siberia, wanders the city streets at night, losing her awareness and memory. She seeks solace in music, playing the works of composers with complex fates every day.
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The complicated relationships of the novel’s characters are marked by scars of the past. The euphoria of the Rebirth that healed them has faded, leaving an empty space that shakes trust in the regained freedom. Has the occupying army really left? Will it return? Thoughts of fear haunt the novel’s main character, fueled by historical memory, psychological sensitivity, and societal changes wavering uncertainly. On the journey to reconciliation with reality, the book’s characters must experience both the bitterness of betrayal and the soul-healing power of love.
A reflection on 1993, when Lithuania finally freed itself from occupation but not from internal conflicts between supporters of the former regime and its opponents, is embodied in the words of a novel character: “Life is made up of circumstances where you can be a saint or a scoundrel. You choose yourself.”
“This is the story of my generation, raised in the Brezhnev era. Thinking about children born and raised in families that have experienced historical traumas, I see birds on ice. Such is the state and such is life when you cannot choose the path you want, cannot freely fly away, must adapt and try to survive, protect yourself from weakening, like a winter bird. Because then the feathers freeze, and the chance to survive melts away before spring comes. I call my generation Birds on Ice,” says the author.
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Twenty chapters of the novel are named after characters, composers, and musical performance terms reflecting the dynamics of the characters’ experiences and the rhythm of the narrative. The backgrounds of music and historical oppression merge in the work, still seeking an answer after half a century of occupation—whether what liberation has brought is happening after a break, or if that break is still to come.
This is the sixth book by prose writer, essayist, and literary and journalistic award laureate Loreta Jastramskienė, published by “Homo liber.” The author has released novels “Water Does Not Know How to Speak,” “The Funny Woman’s Agape,” “There Will Always Be America, Father,” a novella novel “Heirs,” and an essay collection about writers “Ticket to the Big Dipper.” The writer chooses a chamber, intimate tone for her works, where one person’s experiences become a metaphor for an entire era. Her work is characterized by emotional precision, a sensitive gaze, and the ability to connect historical memory with psychological storytelling.
Loreta Jastramskienė’s novel “Birds on Ice” was published by “Homo liber.”
